Troublemaker
by daylighters
Summary: AU. Lucas Friar, your not-so-typical bad boy with a mysterious past. Riley Matthews, your typical good girl who seems to have it all. When Lucas moves out to New York for eighth grade, he completely turns Riley's life upside down. But she kind of likes it. [rucas; markle]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, guys. So, I'm posting this story on both here and Wattpad. This is my first multi-chap Girl Meets World 'fic, and I hope you guys like it. Feel free to leave a review with constructive criticism or anything else that you want to say. Enjoy.**

. . .

I ran my hands through my dark brown hair messily, glancing around the subway. My best friend, Maya Hart, was by my side per usual, standing with her head held high, though not speaking, quietly tapping her feet against the metal floor. I pressed my lips together tightly, resisting the urge to ask her what was wrong. I knew she wouldn't tell me, anyway.

My eyes eventually landed on a boy who looked to be about a year older than me. His own eyes were practically glued to his smartphone, scrolling past whatever he was looking at what mindlessly. I bit my bottom lip, trying to will myself to tear my gaze away. Nonetheless, something about him completely fascinated me. Messy hair, purple circles under his eyes, dressed in black from head to toe. He put Maya's edgy attire to shame.

I jerked my head towards my blond friend abruptly, raising a single eyebrow. "Do you know who that kid is?" I asked her quietly, thoughtlessly looking towards him yet again. This time, however, I caught his eye. I felt a sort out shiver run down my spine at the dark, almost dead, look in his eyes. Every last one of my instincts were screaming at me to turn away, though I couldn't seem to find enough willpower. Not even when he glanced back down at his phone.

"No, I don't. And Riles, you're staring, honey," Maya said with a light laugh, grabbing me by my shoulders and abruptly turning me around. Her hands dropped from my shoulders at once when I wasn't looking at him anymore, and she had a forced smile on her face. I blinked slowly, confused at the bitterness in her so-called grin. I opened my mouth, about to ask her what was wrong for the millionth time this month alone, though the subway quickly jolted to an unexpected halt. I unintentionally lost my grip, which was holding me up, and tumbled across the subway. I grabbed onto the back of some seat to keep from smashing into the wall, though I lost my grip on that, as well, when the subway started back up again. I stumbled a bit before landing on something certainly ... solid.

I blinked quickly, glancing around somewhat frantically. My breath caught in my throat when I realized that I had landed in the lap of Mystery Boy. Leather Jacket Guy. Purple Circles Dude. Am I getting my point across yet?!

I straightened up almost immediately, my cheeks heating up. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry-" I somehow choked out, smoothing out my blouse and skirt hurriedly. "I'm really sorry," I added for good measure, attempting to stand up.

It wasn't until then that I realized his arms were around me, preventing me from standing back up.

I bit my lower lip hard, hesitantly turning to look him in the eye for the second time today. His purple circles were even darker up close, as if he hadn't properly slept in days. His hair looked like he hadn't bothered brushing it that morning, and his clothes seemed old and worn - aside from that jacket, of course.

"I'm Riley," I blurted out unthinkingly, which only caused my face to warm up even more. Like he would care very much about my freaking name. And besides, why was this quiet boy making me so nervous, anyways? I had a boyfriend. A boyfriend whom I liked, quite a lot, in fact. And whom had always claimed to have feelings for me. I was a lucky, taken girl.

So why wasn't I shoving this guy away and striding back out to my best friend?

He almost cracked a small smile, though it faded as soon as it had appeared. "Lucas," he said, mainly under his breath. I chewed awkwardly on the corner of my lip, forcing a half-smile he didn't return.

I raised both my eyebrows after my failed attempts to get him to show some emotion, gesturing to his arms around me. "Do you think you could ...?" I asked kindly, trailing off a bit. He pressed his lips together tightly, glancing down at me one last time before abruptly releasing me. I stood up, looking back over at him to say something else (what, exactly, I did not know and still do not know) though his attention was already fixated on his cell phone again. Apparently our little encounter had not frazzled him as much as it did to me.

I stumbled back over towards Maya, making sure to keep my balance this time. Her expression looked like a cross between amusement and that same exact bitterness that had not disappeared these past few months. I stuck my lower lip out in a slight pout, the nostalgia for the days where she would laugh at me hitting me hard. Which, I realize, is an extremely strange thing to think, or even long for. Oh, well.

. . . .

I walked confidently into school, my arm around Maya's shoulders. She was grinning a little, which was a definite improvement, but I had the feeling that her smile would be fading away soon enough. That's how it always worked around here, anyway. I wish I had the power to change things, to fix her. She was my best friend; She was my responsibility.

She was my other half. I missed her. Even though she was standing alongside me at this very moment. It didn't really feel the same.

"Ladies," Farkle said, hurrying up to us. I grinned weakly, giving my boyfriend a quick hug before pulling back. My mind was still stuck on the emotionless boy I had kind of met on the subway. I didn't want Farkle, or even Maya, catching onto that. She was surprisingly protective of him, which still came as a shock to me. I supposed she had come to care about him as a close friend or even a brother. but sometimes I worried it might be much more than that.

"Farkle," I laughed lightly, though it sounded forced to my own ears. I quickly cleared my throat, cringing internally. I needed to learn how to control my emotions better. "Are you guys ready to head to class?" My dad, Cory Matthews, was our history teacher; history was our first class of the day. He usually taught life lessons with each assignment. It was a little exciting, knowing that another secret to life was only a few minutes away from being taught.

Maya shrugged, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Sure, whatever." I knew that she would never admit it, not even to me, but she loved my dad's lessons. They had helped her through a few difficult situations more than once, they had helped her through the challenge that is life.

We walked to class after that, Maya and Farkle talking about some music video I had yet to see. I didn't bother to feign interest in their conversation, already going off into my own little world. I didn't know why the boy -Lucas, he said his name was- had such a huge effect on me. I didn't like that my all my thoughts were centered around some guy I had talked to for less than a minute. Everything had been so simple before, I had a great boyfriend and an amazing best friend. Why did things had to get all complex now?

"Riley," Maya exclaimed, waving her hand in front of my face. I immediately felt guilty, realizing that if she was waving her hand like that she had been trying to get my attention for quite some time. I snapped out of my gaze, glancing around to get a better grasp on my surroundings. We were already in my father's classroom, and right there, sitting in the seat right behind mine, was -

Subway boy.

"Your friend is here," Maya whispered in my ear, grinning innocently. I felt my jaw go slack and she reached over, impatiently shutting my mouth. "Careful now, sweetie. We wouldn't want you to catch flies," she teased playfully. At least she was in a better mood than she had been earlier this morning.

But still. Subway boy. Sitting in what used to be Farkle's seat, scribbling something in his -you guessed it- black notebook. He was totally off in his own world, not even bothering to pay attention to anything around him. Judging by those purple circles, I wouldn't be surprised if he was half asleep. I knew that my dad didn't tolerate people zoning out during his class, but it had been such an unusual event around here (aside from Maya's faking, of course) he seemed completely caught off guard.

I glanced over at Farkle, about to open my mouth, but he interjected before I could. "No worries, I can just sit behind Maya," he said softly, flashing me a wide smile before plopping down in his new seat. No one ever liked sitting behind Maya, they found her to be too intimidating. That was why the seat behind her had always been empty, ever since Ruby Wilde switched schools. It was too bad; Maya wasn't half as intimidating as people said she was. She could be, sure, but once you got to know her you could tell that it was only a facade to keep people from getting close to her. She wasn't too keen on getting hurt anymore.

Maya raised her eyebrows at me, almost smirking before sitting down in her usual seat. I felt a little idiotic, standing in the doorway, completely frozen in place. My dad, finally snapping out of his daze, gestured for me to go sit down. I stared at him helplessly before taking a deep breath, stumbling over and into my seat. I tried to focus my attention on the blank board in front of me, but it was taking every last ounce of my self control not to turn around and keep my gaze locked on Lucas.

Class passed in a blur, I couldn't even begin to tell you what it was about. I stood up quickly, "casually" turning around to catch a glimpse of the boy from the subway. His eyes were already locked on me as he rose from his seat, as well. I smiled nervously, tightly gripping the back of my chair. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I could say the same about you," he retaliated, his expression blank. Farkle, noticing our little exchange, stepped over to us. Maya, however, kept her distance. I figured that she was probably just waiting to see how this all would play out, which was understandable. If things got too awkward, I knew that she would fix everything right up for me. That is what we always did for each other, after all.

"You two know each other?" Farkle asked after a few seconds.

Lucas nodded, grinning for the first time since I had met him. It still seemed a bit bleak, though. Almost as if it was forced. "You could say that."

At least he hadn't mentioned the whole me-falling-into-his-lap thing. I knew that it was nothing, but I still felt like it would be better to keep that from Farkle. I told myself that it was simply because of how embarrassing it had been. It was awful enough that Maya had seen it. I didn't need the story getting around the entire school. "We met on the subway this morning," I explained. Maya seemed a little taken aback at my lack of details, as did Lucas, but I kept my mouth safely shut. There was no reason to tell Farkle, anyway.

"Oh," Farkle said, seeming a little more light his usual self. "Well, welcome to this school! I really hope that you like it here," he said politely before leaning over to me, giving me a light peck on the cheek. "I have to get to my next class. See you guys later," he said cheerfully before heading out of the classroom. I breathed a silent sigh of relief, keeping my gaze locked on the tile.

Lucas didn't seem to share my relieved mood. "Wait, so are you two-?" he started, though he was soon cut off by my dad.

"Girls, I need you to stay back for a moment, please." Well, this couldn't be good. It wasnever a good thing when my dad had Maya and I stay behind after class. "Mr. Friar, you ought to get to your next class if you don't want to be late," he added half-heartedly, nodding once at Lucas.

Lucas paused for a moment, so long that I ended up tearing my eyes away from the floor to lock them on his. He was already staring at me, as if he was trying to figure something out, but he quickly looked away once our eyes met. The only thing I had noticed that I hadn't before was that his eeys were green - bright green. They were still blank; emotionless.

He walked out of the classroom without another word, not even bothering to glance back at any of us. I bit my bottom lip roughly, eventually looking up at my dad, who was already watching me expectantly. He sighed when I finally did acknowledge him, glancing over at Maya somewhat desperately. "Help me out here, will you?"

"Nope, sorry Mr. Matthews, but you're all alone on this one." The bitterness was slowly returning in her tone, and even though I could only catch traces of it in her voice now, I was dreading whenever it would become full-blown bitterness. I still didn't know what was going on with her, just that it had been going on for a long time. I couldn't even remember when it had first begun. I only wanted to help her through whatever she was going through, but she wasn't letting me in. There was nothing that I could do.

He heaved another loud sigh, leaning against his desk. "All right. Riley ... sweetheart. You know I love you and trust you very much, but ..."

"Oh, God," I mumbled. "I'm not going to like this, am I?" I asked Maya, already nervously chewing on my lower lip again.

She shook her head right away. "Probably not, no," she answered honestly.

"Riley, I want you to stay away from Lucas Friar," he said quietly. "I know you're a little, er, infatuated with him. It was a bit obvious. And I don't want you getting hurt in any way. I think ... and there's no easy way to say this, but-"

"You think he would be a bad influence on me," I finished for him. I couldn't believe him! After all of those lessons on not judging a book by its cover and accepting people for who they are, he comes around assuming that this Lucas boy would be a negative influence on me because of ... what? The clothes he wears? His lack of perkiness? Maya was exactly like him in that sense, and he had grown to realize that she had more depth than she liked to let on. Why couldn't see that Lucas might have the same potential as Maya?

He nodded, grinning awkwardly. "Pretty much, yeah."

Wait a minute. "I am not infatuated with him!"

Maya snickered quietly under her breath. "Sure you aren't, sweetie. Listen, can you please just tell your dad you'll avoid the kid? The awkwardness is beginning to feel real suffocating."

I didn't want to make a promise like that. Maya was supposed to be able to understand that, to help me through this, but apparently not. Considering the fact that I was a natural good girl, it wasn't like I had much of a choice. "Yes, Dad, I understand. I promise I'll stay away from him," I mumbled, fiddling with a loose thread on my shirt.

My dad's smile widened. "Thank you, Riley. See, that wasn't so hard. Now, off to class, you two. I've kept you here long enough."

"C'mon, Riles," Maya smiled slightly, linking our arms and practically dragging me out of the classroom. I guess that she hadn't been lying when she said that the awkwardness was starting to feel suffocating. She honestly did seem eager to get the heck out of there. I kept my head down while we walked, focusing intently on the floor while I tried my hardest to pull myself together. This wasn't a big deal, he was just some boy I didn't even know.

And never would know, apparently.

Maya skidded to an abrupt stop, causing me to whip my head up. We had been walking for less than twenty seconds, there was no possible way that we were already right outside our next class, so why would she-?

Lucas Friar. He had been standing right outside my dad's classroom. He had overheard everything that he had said, he had heard what I agreed to and how I said I understood ...

It would have been nice to know that his locker was right outside of my father's classroom. Really, it would have been.

"Lucas," I started, not even sure what I was going to say next. I typically had a soft spot for everybody, so that might explain why I felt so terrible. But I had also always followed my dad's orders, even when I disagreed with him. Those two things had never collided before, but now I can tell that my soft spot overruled his orders. This time, at least.

He glanced at me, his expression just as blank as before. I still couldn't help but wonder why it was always so vacant; empty, even. The warning bell went off before I got the chance to say anything else to him, and off he went, already heading to his next class. Whatever that was. He was gone.

I turned to Maya, my eyebrows furrowing. Her lips were pressed together tightly, as if she was resisting the urge to say something. After a moment she seemed to be giving in, pulling her arm away from mine. "I hate to say it, but I kind of agree with your dad. I think you should stay away from him, too. Not just because your dad thinks he would be a bad influence, because honestly, so do I, but for Farkle's sake, too. Farkle adores you, Riley," she said firmly. "I don't want to see him getting hurt," she muttered before spinning around, walking over to her locker across the hall.

Okay. So I was supposed to stay away from Lucas Friar.

That shouldn't be too difficult.


	2. Chapter 2

It turns out that staying away from Lucas Friar was going to be more difficult than I had anticipated.

It wasn't because we had loads of classes in common, in fact, the only class we had in common was my dad's history class. No, it was simply because of the fact that my dad was right - I was infatuated with him. Not in the romantic, school girl crush way. Of course not, I had a boyfriend. More like in the awkward, I-want-to-know-him-better way that usually ended in cringe worthy events. Especially for people like me.

"Maya, would it be so terrible if I went against my father's orders just once, got to know Lucas, and then proved to everyone that he wasn't so bad?" I asked my best friend quietly. It was lunchtime and we were sitting in our usual table in the cafeteria. Typically, Farkle would be sitting with us but today he was preparing for a debate against his nemesis, Isadora Smackle. So it was only Maya and I this afternoon, watching the new boy try to find a place to sit for the third afternoon in a row. That wasn't going to happen - every single table was already full. Aside from the one that I was sitting at, of course.

"Yes," Maya answered dully. "Besides, what did I tell you? It wouldn't be fair to Farkle, either. You know, your boyfriend?" There was and edge to her words that I didn't quite understand, but I brushed it off. My head was already messed up enough today, but I promised myself that I would try yet again to figure out what was going on with her tomorrow. Hopefully by then I will have figured this whole Lucas situation out.

I didn't like what she was implying, though - that I had feelings for the new boy. Falling into his lap on the subway had been an accident, everybody who was there would agree. I was naturally clumsy, it shouldn't be such a huge surprise. It could have been worse - I could have fallen into Crazy Hat's lap instead. "I just want to help him out a little. Everyone needs a friend."

"Yeah, well, this Lucas guy seems like the type of person to have more than just friendship on his mind around girls, Riley. For once, something is out of your control. Can't you please accept that so we can get back to our boring, normal middle school lives?" she pleaded.

I shook my head. "No. My parents raised me to always do the right thing, yeah? This is the right thing. I know it." And with that I stood up and walked over to where Lucas was lingering, still looking for an empty table to sit at.

He glanced towards me fleetingly before snickering quietly, almost under his breath. "I thought you weren't supposed to be talking to me?"

So he had heard everything. All right, well, that could be a slight dilemma. "I'm supposed to always do the right thing, too. Do you want to sit with my friend and I?"

He stared at me blankly for a second before snickering. "I sincerely doubt your little friend wants me anywhere around either of you. Why are you talking to me, anyway?" There was nothing malicious about his tone. If anything, he only sounded mildly curious.

A group of kids rose from their lunch table, stepping over and dumping their trays. I glanced over at Lucas, smiling. "Then we can just sit together, then. And well, because, you're new here and I want to help you out, if I can."

He raised his eyebrows before seemingly shrugging it off. "Fine, whatever." He sat where those four kids had just been, gesturing for me to join him. I hesitantly sat across from him, picking at a loose fingernail.

"You left your food over with your friend," he pointed out.

I briefly considered getting up and grabbing my food before shuddering slightly. No amount of food would be worth facing Maya's inevitable wrath so soon. "I'm not hungry." My stomach was feeling weird enough, anyway. Not like I felt sick or anything, just ... something I had never felt before. Something that I didn't quite understand.

"Okay, then. So, if you're basically skipping lunch today, why are you still here? You could be loitering in the halls or whatever New Yorkers do." He had only a faint country accent, almost like he was trying to lose it.

I shrugged simply. "I feel like talking to you. So, go ahead. Tell me stuff." I hoped that I wasn't coming off pushy. The last thing I wanted to do was scare this guy away when I could tell that he needed a friend. Like I said, everyone needed a friend. I could be that friend for him, if he let me.

"I don't know if there's anything about me you would honestly want to know, Riley." He remembered my name. "I'm not exactly rainbows and sunshine, if you get what I'm saying."

I couldn't keep myself from rolling my eyes. "Oh, please. No one around here is all rainbows and sunshine, not even me. I'm used to it by now."

He paused for a moment, keeping his gaze locked on me before looking down at his lunch tray. "It isn't anything worth talking about. What about you? I don't think I know anything about you."

"I'm Riley Matthews," I said, grinning. I wanted to press him for more details, but I would let it go for now. "I've lived here in New York my entire life."

He smirked. "City girl, huh?"

I nodded a bit. "Pretty much."

He shook his head slightly, cracking a small smile. "I'm from Texas. So, I see that isn't something we have in common, Riley Matthews."

It was surprising to see him smile so abruptly. I wasn't used to him smiling very much, which wasn't saying a lot. I had only known him for a few days, obviously. "Apparently not. I've always wanted to live in the country, though. Maybe on a farm. It would be so amazing to be around all those animals."

"You know, I lived on a farm for a few years before I moved here. It was pretty great to be around so many animals. Just not so much when they decided to make most of them supper," he cringed slightly before exhaling. "Your father is Mr. Matthews, right?"

I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off before I had the opportunity to. "That is correct," my dad said, coming up from behind me. "In fact, I've been her dad for fourteen years. Small world, huh?"

I winced internally, reluctantly turning around to face him. "Dad, can you just hear me out?" I asked pleadingly. I wanted him to realize why I was doing this more than anything. He had always taught me not to judge a book by its cover, so why in the world was he so freaked out over Lucas? He should be accepting, like he had always expected me to be.

He shook his head without hesitation. "No, Riley. I told you to stay away from this boy, and then you go and do this!" He emphasized "this" like I had robbed a bank or something.

My eyebrows furrowed together tightly. "Sit at a table with him? Oh, yeah, you better call the authorities," I snapped, shocking myself. I rarely ever talked back to either of my parents, or anyone, really. Where was all of this coming from? "How did you even find out, anyway? You aren't supervising lunch until Friday."

"How ya doin'?" Maya asked, coming up from behind my dad. Her expression was completely blank, and her tone was a total deadpan.

My face slowly fell as it began to sink in. Maya had told my father. "Oh," I mumbled, unable to think of anything intelligent to say. It felt like the whole room, the whole world, was spinning. It was impossible to comprehend that Maya would have actually done something like this. She was supposed to be my best friend.

"I have a bad feeling about this guy, Riley," she explained, as if that fixed everything. But maybe she was right. Maybe some things could not be fixed.

"Of course you do," Lucas muttered. I had almost forgotten that he was even there, too caught up in Maya tattling on me and my anger directed towards my father. I vaguely considered saying something to him, trying to figure out some way to apologize for my dad and Maya's behavior, before realizing that I could come up with absolutely nothing.

My stomach clenched as I looked back and forth between my best friend and my dad. I had never thought I would see the day where she would choose his side over mine. "I can't believe you guys," I said quietly, my voice barely audible over the loud chattering in the cafeteria. I stood up, brushing right past them.

I wasn't sure where I was planning on going. All I knew was that I needed to get away from them both before I said or did something I might regret. Regrets were definitely not the best thing in the world, and I already had enough for now. I didn't want or need any others.

I distinctly heard Maya's footsteps fast approaching me, but I couldn't even bring myself to care. I didn't have my next class with her, so there was no way she could continue following me, anyway. It wasn't like I had anything to lose if I kept walking.

"I couldn't let you hurt Farkle." By now we were out in the empty halls, our footsteps even more audible than before.

I halted to a stop before spinning around to face her. She was still a few feet away from me, her huge black book bag slung over her shoulder. "So instead you hurt me." My voice was barely a whisper now as I came to the conclusion that she had hurt me. A lot.

"I had to make a choice," she said quietly.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "So you chose ratting me out to my father instead of allowing me to be nice to someone? How would me having a friendship with Lucas Friar hurt Farkle, anyway?"

She rolled her eyes. "You seriously don't get it? Lucas is the type of guy that would make Farkle feel threatened. I don't want him to feel that way, and if you honestly care about your boyfriend, you don't, either."

"Of course I care about him," I snapped. Wow, I was snapping a lot today. "But if the roles were reversed, there's no way I would have told on you."

She laughed humorlessly. "It isn't like you have the option of tattling to either of my parents. Neither of them are ever around."

"That doesn't even have anything to do with this and you know it. How could you do this? You're supposed to be my best friend! You're supposed to be there for me and accept my decisions, even if they could be mistakes in the future. That's what I do for you all the time. It isn't fair that this is suddenly one-sided."

"It isn't fair that you're dating someone you don't even like!"

I paused for a long moment, mulling over her words. "... You're jealous, aren't you?" The thought of Maya liking Farkle as more than a friend had never once occurred to me. She had shot him down even more often than I had, always acting like she would prefer hanging around an ax murderer than him.

But maybe I had been wrong all along. And if I was finally right, that would mean that everything would make sense. Her bitterness and her attitude around me lately, why she was seemingly so obsessed with protecting his feelings and pushing me away from Lucas. All of it.

She paused, too, even longer than I had. Her expression was totally emotionless again when she answered, "Maybe I am."

I bit my bottom lip hard, taking another step away from her. My best friend had feelings for my boyfriend. It was a hard thing to even begin to comprehend. "That's still no excuse for what you did. You're letting a boy come in between our friendship, Maya."

"No, Riley. That isn't what I'm doing. I'm just protecting another friend, because see, think about this. If I walked up to Lucas Friar and started hitting on him, you would feel jealous, wouldn't you? Especially if he flirted back. For the first time ever, Riley Matthews would feel envious."

I blinked slowly, shaking my head. "I don't like him. I haven't known him long enough." I had only had a single decent conversation with him, for Pete's sake. I couldn't believe what she was saying.

She shook her head slowly. "That doesn't matter to you, Riley. You like him because he's different. Dark and broken, you're infatuated with him."

She was the second person to have said that, and I was getting tired of it. Even if it was true. I wasn't a big fan of people trying to tell what I felt. It was hard enough for me to figure out how I felt without a million people telling me what they thought I felt. "So what? I'm also infatuated with the color purple, I don't have a crush on it."

She rolled her eyes yet again. "Whatever, Riley. Don't believe me. You'll realize it for yourself eventually. But until then, it isn't fair for you to continue leading Farkle on."

The bell rang then, cutting our conversation short. "I'm not leading him on," I said, speaking louder so I could be heard about the new hustle and bustle.

"Whatever you say, sweetie."

. . .

 **A/N: I don't own Girl Meets World. Also, what did you guys think? Are you on Riley's side or Maya's? I love hearing what you think, so don't hesitant to leave a review. Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

I kept to myself for the rest of the day. Even in the morning I was unusually quiet, eating my breakfast without saying a word. I could tell that my mom and my little brother could feel the tension between my father and I, but they didn't comment on it. I placed my dish in the sink without saying anything, reaching over to grab my book bag. It was already past seven in the morning and Maya wasn't here yet. I took that as confirmation that she wasn't picking me up this morning.

"Riley, you can't stay mad at me forever. I'm trying to protect you," he finally said.

I laughed bitterly, slinging my book bag over my shoulder. "And what are you trying to protect me from, Dad? Making friends with someone who could use help?"

My mom stood up slowly, hesitantly stepping in between my father and I. "Riley, honey, maybe your dad is right. We know about this boy. He would be-"

"What? A bad influence on me?" I had been hoping that my mom would at least take my side in this matter, but apparently not. "Of course, because a person wears black and makes sarcastic remarks that means they would be a horrible influence on me? There's nothing wrong with him, Mom." I paused for lowering my voice. "He's just a little broken."

Neither of them said anything after that. I bit my bottom lip roughly, tightening my grip and heading out the door, starting the trip to school.

I had never felt so alone in my entire life.

. . .

My dad and Maya were already there when I got to history class. It was pretty much my fault, taking so much time at Svorski's. I couldn't help it, though. She was a really sweet woman with a great sense of humor. Besides, I needed to talk to someone. Especially if three of the most important people in my life disagreed with a decision I was sure of.

Lucas was there, too. I ignored my father and Maya, instead choosing to flash Lucas a hesitant smile. "Good morning," I said softly.

He smiled back tentatively. "Morning, Riley."

I plopped down in my seat, pulling out my textbook and opening it up wordlessly. Maya and my dad were completely silent, a rare occurrence. I had just looked up, to say what, I wasn't sure, when Farkle walked in. He wasn't smiling, but he did manage to grimace at my father. "I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Matthews." He spoke in a total monotone, something I had never heard from him.

My father raised his eyebrows but seemingly brushed it off, nodding. "It's fine. Take a seat, please."

Farkle sat in his new seat behind Maya, not even bothering to as much as glance in my direction. I blinked slowly, not quite understanding what was going on. It wasn't like Farkle to ignore me like that. He always told me good morning, it didn't make any sense.

Nothing was making any sense anymore. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

I turned around so I was facing Lucas. "Do you want to sit with me at lunch today?" I asked him hesitantly. It was probably really reckless, talking to him like this. Especially considering the fact that my father and my best friend were both right there, and they both had told me to stay away from him. And then there was always my boyfriend, who wasn't even acknowledging the fact that I exist.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive," I answered automatically. "So, lunch?"

He bit his lip gently, almost as if he was hiding another smile. "Yeah, sure. That sounds kind of fantastic."

I smiled widely at him before turning back around, keeping my expression blank as I looked at my dad. He seemed taken aback, most likely because of my insane behavior, but I couldn't bring myself to regret anything. At the end of the day, this was going to be the right thing to do. It was all right if I lost a few people in the process of doing the right thing. Hopefully they would forgive me once I convinced them that he wasn't half as bad as he seemed.

He shrugged after a few seconds. "All right, then. So, on January 15th, 1929 African-American civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was born. He had believed in something so strongly that he risked losing everything to convince people of something. While he kept his protests non-violent, people still grew very angry; people who couldn't see his point of view."

This was starting to hit pretty close to home now.

My dad continued, "In March 1963, he delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech. He dreamed that people would someday not be judged by their outer appearance, namely the color of their skin. A lot of people would have been better off listening to him ... because can't we all agree that beauty should only be skin deep?"

"But people are still judged by their outer appearance today. Sometimes people are too blinded by their ow beliefs to see how irrational they're acting," I added with a pointed look in my father's direction.

He cringed slightly before his expression softened. "You're right, Riley. People do still do that ... and they shouldn't," he paused before adding, "I shouldn't."

I couldn't keep myself from smiling then.

. . .

Maya and Farkle still weren't speaking to me, which made me feel a whole lot less worse about not sitting with them at lunch. Instead I grabbed my tray of potatoes and such -not forgetting to thank Geralyn, the lunch lady- and headed over to the table where Lucas and I sat yesterday. He was already sitting there, only with a bottle of water today.

I sat across from him, raising my eyebrows as I set my tray down on the table. "You aren't eating anything today?"

He shrugged simply, not saying anything. I snatched my apple up from my tray, handing it to him. "Eat this, at least," I said somewhat pleadingly. He hesitated before accepting it from me, still remaining completely silent.

I pressed my lips together tightly, not knowing quite what to say. It seemed like no one wanted to talk to me today. Aside from my father, that is. He had pulled me to the side after class again, not exactly apologizing but he did tell me that he accepted my decision and wished me good luck. So far, that was the only bright side of today.

"Tell me more about yourself," I urged Lucas suddenly, catching myself off guard. I didn't understand why I wanted to know so much about him, just that it felt like I needed to know as much as possible. It was weird, unlike anything I had ever felt before.

He smirked slightly at me, taking a bite out of the apple. He swallowed before responding, "What do you want to know, sunshine?"

"Sunshine?"

"New nickname. You seem like a complete ray of sunshine, Riley Matthews. Me, well, I'm more like a thunderstorm or something else horrible," he chuckled.

"I happen to like thunderstorms," I interjected, leaning back in my chair.

He stared at me for a moment before hesitantly smirking again. "What is it you want to know about me, Riley?"

"Anything. Your favorite colors, bands, TV shows, book series, novels, singers, actors and actresses ...' I trailed off.

"Hmm. Blue or black for the first one and ... you know, I already forgot the rest." I couldn't tell whether or not he was being sarcastic. He was slightly smirking again, so that made me think that he most likely was. His sarcasm didn't seem very bitter, though. Just ... sort of forced.

"Your favorite band," I reminded him.

He grinned, surprising me. "Fall Out Boy or The Killers. What's yours?"

It seemed like him, at least. I wasn't too shocked. "Owl City," I answered honestly. I reluctantly began to eat some of my potatoes. Not only did it feel awkward to dig in like this in front of someone who was only eating an apple, my stomach felt funny again. I still couldn't describe what the feeling was like, but it seemed almost ... nice.

"Have you heard any music by Imagine Dragons?"

I nearly choked on my food. Everyone had pretty much convinced me that I was the only person in New York that liked Imagine Dragons. "Of course, they're one of my favorite bands," I said immediately. "My favorite song by them is-"

"Demons," he finished for me, grinning again.

"How did you know?"

He flashed me another smile, running his other hand through his hair messily. The feeling in my stomach intensified by about a thousand percent. "Lucky guess. That's my favorite too, though. I guess you could say I can relate to the lyrics pretty well."

"Me, too," I said quietly before speaking up. "Tell me more about yourself. Anything." I hoped that I didn't seem to eager. The last thing that I wanted to do was make him think I had a crush on him or something. Because I definitely did not.

Friendly, platonic infatuation. That was all this was. That was all it could be.

"All right, okay. So ... you know, I haven't told anybody this, so promise me you'll keep it a secret?" he asked gently, leaning towards me slightly.

My pulse was hammering by now. This was so different from anything else I had ever felt. It didn't make any sense to me. "Promise," I somehow managed to choke out.

"I think that one day I might want to be a veterinarian. After all those years of living on a farm and being around so many different animals ... I suppose you could say it give me a bit of a soft spot towards them. When you live on a farm, you can't exactly get attached to all of the animals. They aren't going to be around forever," he chuckled lightly. "But ..."

I smiled slightly. "You ended up getting attached, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I typically end up doing that a lot, though." He kept his eyes locked on mine for a long second before tearing his gaze away, focusing on the uneaten apple in his hands. "One day I just think it would be kind of awesome to at least try to help animals. They're a lot more caring than most humans, anyway."

Even I couldn't disagree with that. "That's amazing, Lucas. Really," I added sincerely.

"Nah, not really. So, what do you think you want to do when you're older?" he asked, abruptly directing the subject away from him.

I shrugged, deciding to let it go for awhile. There was no need for me to turn into a total pushover because of someone I was just now getting to know. "I'm not too certain yet. There's so many things that I'm interested in."

"You seem like the type of girl to love a bunch of stuff. I'm not too shocked. But honestly, I hate talking about myself. Tell me about yourself."

I toyed with a strand of my hair, no longer paying any attention to my lunch. "I don't think there's anything interesting about me you would really care about."

"I don't agree. Come on, I told you things about myself. It's only fair." He was grinning playfully, something that I still wasn't used to. Him smiling was such a rarity.

I was planning on changing that, though. Everyone deserved to smile and be happy. Even if it was only for a little while.

"Riley."

I turned around in my seat, coming face to face with Maya Hart. I swallowed hard. "Hey." I still was kind of upset with her over everything that she said and done to me yesterday afternoon. I figured that her intentions were most likely good and pure, but that didn't make me feel any better. Maybe I was being selfish, but I was still really, really hurt.

"There's something important I need to talk to you about. _Alone_."

. . .

 **A/N: Yikes, cliffhanger. Sorry about that, guys. Thank you for leaving your opinion on the last chapter! It was really fun to read what you guys think. So, here we go again - what do think Maya needs to talk to Riley about? Do you think that maybe everyone is right about Lucas? Don't hesitant to tell me whatcha think. Thanks for reading. :)**

 **(Also, Girl Meets World? Yeah, don't own it. Ow. That hurt to type.)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Maya, what is so important that you had to drag me out of the cafeteria and away from-?"

"Lucas? Is it Lucas? Yeah, I know." She rolled her eyes impatiently before exhaling, slumping her shoulders. "And I dragged you out of the cafeteria because ... something really important is happening in my life. You fix things, I break things, and I need someone to fix everything now."

My expression immediately softened. No matter what Maya did or said to me, I would always be her best friend. Nothing could ever change that. "What's going on?"

She shook her head, pressing her lips together firmly. "I don't know how to explain. It's just, you know how my father got up and left one day, started a brand new family, never to return?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"He came back this morning. My mom just texted me that he met her at the diner. They never had the greatest relationship even when they were together and I don't know. I just didn't want him to come back, not like this."

Maya's father had walked out of her life when she was only ten years old. It had pretty much broken her, she had never been the same since then. I knew that him suddenly popping back up in his life was probably the last thing that she needed or wanted. "Has he contacted you at all?"

She shook her head again. "No, he hasn't. It's still like I don't even exist to him. But my mom wants me to meet him after school at the diner. She said that she wants me to talk to him, but .. I don't have anything to say. He left, Riley. What am I supposed to say?"

"I'm going with you," I said automatically, already thinking quickly. "I can ask Farkle to tag along, too, if that's okay with you. And maybe-"

"No, Riley," she said right away. "I do not want you inviting your new little friend to go with us. I'm perfectly fine with you and Farkle tagging along, but not Lucas Friar. He doesn't even know anything about my father, nor do I want him to. Even you barely know him, Riles."

"I know him better than you think."

She snickered. "Sure you do, Riley. You don't know about his past or his family or anything. I can tell. He isn't the type of person to open up to a total stranger."

My eyebrows furrowed together tightly. "Lucas and I are not total strangers. We're friends, Maya."

"No, you guys aren't friends. You barely even know each other, and I don't see that changing any time soon. Riley, I don't mean to mess up your perfect fantasy about the world being all about rainbows and unicorns and princesses and whatever else it is people like you obsess over, but this universe is dark. People are not always what they seem."

Yeah. She was proving her own point to me right now. "You're wrong about him."

"I don't think that I am. He doesn't want to be your friend, Riley. I'm pretty dang sure that he's using you, and so is Farkle. I can't stand seeing you get hurt, neither of us can. That's why I'm insisting that you stay away from him. He's only going to hurt you, Riles. That's the kind of person guys like him are. They aren't your knight in shining armor. If anything, they're a nightmare. They're cruel and thoughtless and manipulative. And so is he."

I stared at her for a long moment, feeling a painful ache in my chest. I couldn't believe that she was saying all those things. I couldn't believe that Farkle had taken her side. No wonder he wasn't talk to me whatsoever. "You're wrong about him," I said again. My voice sounded different; almost like it was going to crack any second.

"I'm not, Riley, and you know it. I'm right about that Lucas Friar kid. He's using you. I just want you to get unattached from him before he leaves. Because, see, that's what people do. They leave, all the freaking time." Her tone was getting stronger and more confident, almost as if she was positive she was going to convince me of her thoughts any moment now.

This time, I shook my head. "You're still wrong," I whispered, staring at my shoes pointedly. "I'm not going to stay away from him. You're might just be right about one thing, though."

"And what is that?"

"Maybe I am already attached to Lucas," I said quietly, reluctantly raising my head so I was facing her again. "And maybe I do like him, even if it's only a little bit." It would explain that weird yet pleasant feeling in my stomach whenever I was around him. Butterflies. "It wouldn't be fair to Farkle to continue leading him on like this, you were correct about that, too. I'll break up with him and then he's all yours, yeah, Maya? Now you have no reason to hate me anymore."

Her face fell. "Riley, I could never hate-"

"You have a hilarious way of showing it," I said blandly. "Listen, I don't think I can go with you to the diner. I'm sorry, but I can't ... I can't do that when you can't accept a simple decision I made. Nothing is going to change my mind, Maya. I've already made up my mind. I'm sorry," I repeated.

She stared at me for a long minute. "... You're choosing him over me?"

"No. I'm not choosing anyone over anybody. But I can't deal with everything all at once like this. There's too much on my plate, and you were right yet again - some things cannot be fixed. There's certain things I can do nothing about, and those are the things I need to let go of."

"Am I one of those things?"

Was this honestly what I was going to do? Give up on my best friend in the entire universe just because she hurt my feelings a couple times?

"No," I answered both her question and my own. "You could never be one of those things. But I know you, Maya. You can handle a lot more than you're willing to let on. Especially if you have someone by your side. This time, that somebody isn't going to be me. It's going to be Farkle. It's time for you two to take on the world together."

She didn't say anything. I swallowed hard, tightening my grip on my book bag and turning my back on her.

Nothing was going to be the same anymore.

. . .

The weekend came sooner than I had expected. I had broken up with Farkle right after my argument with Maya, and I hadn't heard anything from either of them since that day. Even in my father's class they both remained unusually silent, the only noise from them coming from their pens scribbling on their paper while they took notes.

My parents didn't comment on the lack of their presences at our apartment. I was almost certain that they both knew what was going on, though. Maya considered my dad her one and only father figure, even though she would never admit to it. I wouldn't be surprised if she had filled him in on everything that occurred.

Lucas and I had grown closer those couple days without Farkle or Maya. He was still remaining pretty mysterious about his past and why he moved out to New York, but he did tell me a little about his mom and dad.

They had apparently divorced when Lucas was only eleven. His dad still lived back in Texas, whereas his mother had come out with him to New York City. He was an only child, although he had always wished for a sibling. His dad still had a farm back in Texas, but it wasn't doing as great as it used to. He told me about how his parents didn't get along very well, but did manage to somewhat tolerate each other for his sake.

That was where he had cut off. He hadn't said anything about his family ever since then, instead choosing to quiz me about my own family.

And, speaking of my own family, I had an announcement that I knew they weren't going to be too enthusiastic about.

"Mom? Dad?" It was almost dinnertime on a Saturday, so my parents were in a pretty great mood. My little brother, Auggie, was hanging out in the living room, watching some comedy on TV, so he was in a pretty positive mood, too.

"Yes?" my mom asked, barely looking up from the food she was cooking. I was too caught up in my own thoughts to even pay attention to what she was making.

I bit my bottom lip nervously. This was already even more difficult than I had anticipated. "I invited a friend over to dinner tonight."

My mom's face lit up automatically. "Oh, that's fantastic! Who's coming over? Maya? Farkle?"

My dad stared at me for a few seconds before looking over at my mother. "I wouldn't be getting too excited about this, Topanga. I know Riley, and I'm almost one hundred percent positive she's going to say the one name I really, really don't want to hear."

"I'm sure she won't, Cory. Relax."

My mom had way too much faith in me. That wasn't going to last very much longer, though. My dad seemed to have the same thought I did, judging by his slightly smug expression. "Oh, sure. So, who is it, Riley? Go ahead and tell us, honey."

"Umm ... Lucas Friar."

. . .

 **A/N: Dinner with Lucas, Riley, Cory, Topanga, and Auggie? This should be fun. Anyway, thank you for reading! I'm asking you the same question I asked you guys after chapter two - are you on Maya's side or Riley's? I love hearing your opinions, so don't hesitate to tell me.**

 **(Still don't own Girl Meets World. Sigh. That gets harder and harder to type every time.)**


	5. Chapter 5

"I told you, Topanga. I told her, didn't I, Auggie?"

I rolled my eyes at my father. "He's really nice, Dad. I just want you guys to get to know him better. That's understandable, isn't it, Mom?" I'm not going to lie, I was starting to feel pretty desperate. I recalled my mom warning me against spending time around Lucas, too, claiming that she and my father knew about him. Whatever that meant.

My mom glanced between my dad and I, as did my little brother. Apparently his TV show was not nearly as interesting as my impending doom.

Eventually my mom's shoulders slumped as she switched her attention back to whatever she was currently cooking. "Yeah, all right. I guess that does sound a little fair."

"Topanga!"

"Cory, our little girl is growing up, she's making new friends. We might as well try to get to know those friends to make sure they aren't ax murderers or psychopaths," she said calmly. I caught her eye and she winked once, grinning. She was on my side this time.

My dad stared at her blankly. "... He's thirty-six!"

"He's my age!" I cried. My dad mumbled something that sounded somewhat similar to "I'm sure," but didn't say anything else after that. I couldn't resist shaking my head. Despite how crazy my father could be at times, I knew he was trying to do the right thing.

But then again, so was I.

"Riley?" my younger brother, Auggie, asked softly. I turned towards him, smiling encouragingly. He jumped up from the couch, walking over to me. "What if your new friends don't like me?"

I tugged him closer to me, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Only one friend, and he's going to love you. Just like everyone else that has ever met you."

"What if he doesn't?" he asked.

I kissed the top of his head, shaking my head. "There's no way he couldn't, Auggie. Everyone does." Which was the truth. Everybody that had met Auggie had absolutely adored him. There was no way Lucas was going to be any different. And maybe, just maybe, that would prove to my mom and dad that he wasn't nearly as awful as they had assumed he was.

"Lucas."

I shot away from Auggie, already racing to the intercom. I pressed the button, leaning towards it quickly. "Come on up," I said, my words coming out faster than I had intended. I thought I heard him chuckle, but I couldn't be certain.

I turned around just in time to see my dad and my mom exchange a worried look. Even though I appreciated the fact that they were so concerned about my well-being, I had honestly thought they were finally beginning to accept him a little. Or at least, I had thought that my mom was.

"It's going to be amazing, I promise," I assured them, grinning. I was hoping that my excitement was going to be contagious, but judging by the blank expression on my dad's face, it was not.

Auggie turned to my mom suddenly, smiling widely. "If Riley can invite her friend over, tomorrow can I invite one of my friends over? They live in this building and everything!"

"Sure, buddy," my dad said absentmindedly, his gaze already fixated on the door. I raised my eyebrows at Auggie, wondering why he would ask -typically he just invited whatever boy was his best friend this week over without asking- but the knocking on the door might have possibly made me forget everything.

I yanked the door open right away, laughing breathlessly. "Hi."

He smiled slightly. "Hey, sunshine." He had been calling me that more and more often, and I was starting to like it a little too much. Not that I would ever admit that to anyone. it was bad enough I had told Maya that I might like Lucas. I couldn't even begin to imagine what she and Farkle thought of me now.

I brushed the thought off, taking a couple steps back so he could come in. "I'm really glad you could make it." And I was. This was going to be the perfect opportunity to prove to my parents that people are not always what they seem. Isn't that what they had been telling me for years?

He walked inside, quietly shutting the door behind him. "Me, too."

I looked over at my mom abruptly, grinning sheepishly. She seemed a little taken aback - I couldn't help but blame the leather jacket Lucas was wearing. And the black t-shirt. And black jeans. And black shoes.

So he wasn't a fan of color. Everyone is entitled to their own likes and dislikes, right? Kind of like my dad had every right in the world to dislike- yeah, no. It was different when it came to him disliking Lucas. I didn't know how, but it just was.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Matthews. And, um, it's nice to meet you, Mrs. Matthews," he added. I could feel his eyes on me but I couldn't bring myself to look over at him. My eyes were glued to my parents, trying to judge their reactions and thoughts and inevitable assumptions.

Eventually my mom cracked a smile, nodding a bit. "It's nice to meet you, too, Lucas. Riley has told me a lot about you. Apparently you've made quite the impression on her."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, smirking now. "Have I?"

I finally glanced over at him, feeling my face warm up. "Maybe you have," I said somewhat quietly. He smirked wider and I felt my pulse quicken. It had been doing that a lot whenever I was around him. And there was no reason for me to lie - it was absolutely terrifying. I had never felt anything like this before. I had no idea what any of it meant.

My dad cleared his throat then, causing Lucas and I to snap our hands towards him simultaneously. He seemed pleased that he had this effect on us, but fortunately didn't comment on it. "How are you doing today, Mr. Friar?"

Lucas shrugged. "I'm with my little ray of sunshine, aren't I?" he said, fleetingly looking towards me. "So I think I'm pretty great."

I somehow managed to blush even deeper, my heartbeat quickening, too. Stupid, traitor emotions, confusing me even more. "Ray of sunshine? That's a good thing, right? I'm not annoyingly positive or anything?"

He shook his head once. "Nothing you do could ever be annoying."

My father cleared his throat again, but this time Lucas and I were a little slower when it came to tearing our gazes away from each other. "You know, I think it's about time we eat now. Topanga, dinner is almost ready, isn't it?" He sounded nervous, though I had no clue why.

Even my mom seemed a bit dazed. "Um, yes, it's just about ready. Everyone feel free to sit down." Her voice sounded mote professional than usual, catching me off guard. i had expected my parents to act weird during dinnertime tonight, but nowhere near this level of weird.

I smiled apologetically at Lucas before heading over to Auggie, gently grabbing his head and tugging him over to the table. He climbed onto the seat, his eyes never once leaving Lucas. I didn't understand this, either, but that didn't really surprise me. Life was getting more and more complicated these days, there was a lot that didn't make sense to me anymore.

I sat down besides Auggie, and Lucas sat down next to me. My dad sat across from us, watching us both carefully. More carefully than usual, I mean. I was just about to ask him what was wrong when Auggie poked me in the side. I glanced down at him and he leaned up towards my ear. "Riley, I think your friend might be in love with you," he whispered, though not as quietly as a typical whisper. in fact, I was positive everybody in the kitchen/dining room area could hear him.

My face heated up again as I awkwardly leaned away from my little brother. He slumped back down, staring at me expectantly. I risked a glimpse at Lucas, smiling sheepishly yet again. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head, flashing me a grin. Which, by the way, was still a rare occurrence. "Trust me, I don't mind at all. In fact, I really like your little brother."

"You do?" Auggie asked hopefully.

Lucas chuckled, nodding. "Yeah. You're pretty awesome." He didn't sound sarcastic at all. He sounded as sincere as he did whenever he was talking to me. I couldn't help but smile, even though my face was still as red as a tomato. Lucas was making a great impression on my family, exactly like I knew he would. Nothing could ruin my happy mood now.

. . .

"You'll have to come over again sometime."

Dinner had come and gone faster than I had anticipated it would. Surprisingly enough, there were no awkward or intense moments. I ended up acting like a blushing, giggly little dork, but at least no one commented on it. I could tell that my mom really liked Lucas, as did my brother. It was even obvious that he was starting to grow on my dad, although I knew it would take a pretty long while for him to admit to that.

Right now, my parents were in the kitchen, scrubbing at the dishes, trying to act like they weren't eavesdropping on our conversation. They had their backs turned so we had a little privacy, so I guess I couldn't complain too much.

Lucas nodded almost right away. "Yeah, that would be really great." He pulled the front door open, taking a couple steps out the door but then turning back, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

I stepped towards him, still smiling widely. It felt like I had been smiling all night, and maybe I was. All I knew was that nothing was going to bring me down. Not anytime soon, at least. It even felt like the gigantic Maya-and-Farkle weight had been lifted off my chest. "Awesome. I can't wait, then."

He bit his bottom lip gently, his eyes still glued to mine. I was starting to feel a bit confused, but I decided not to comment on it. I was pretty sure I had been staring at him all evening, so I wasn't exactly one to talk. I knew that whatever we had was platonic, on his side, anyway. I still wasn't too sure I had any romantic feelings for him, but even I did, I knew I would just have to crush them. We would never work out. I couldn't think of him that way.

"Thanks, Riley," he finally said. He took my hand then, squeezing it tightly. I was certain that my heart rate skyrocketed right then and there, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest. "For everything."

"No problem," I managed to choke out.

He stared at me for a couple more seconds before reluctantly letting go of my hand. "Goodnight, sunshine," he said, smirking again. He seemed to be in a better mood than I had ever seen him in before, which admittedly caught me off guard. I wasn't used to him being happy like this. In fact, I wasn't used to him being happy in general.

It was definitely something I could get used to, though.

It took me a moment or two to clear my head enough to remember how to speak. "Goodnight, Lucas," I said softly, surprised to realize that my voice was somewhat shaky. I still didn't understand any of this. All I knew was that this was a really incredible feeling. I never wanted any of this to end or go away.

He cracked another small smile before turning and walking away. I took a deep breath, silently shutting the door and resting my forehead against it. It felt like my head was spinning again, but this time, it was in a good way.

It was the kind of thing I hoped would stick around awhile.

. . .

 **A/N: Another update so soon? I know, I'm pretty shocked. I got inspiration while watching GMW today and just decided to go with it, I guess. But, okay. Tell me what you guys think? Do you have a favorite part? I love hearing your opinions and thoughts, so don't hesitate to tell me what you think. And thank you all so much for so many reviews! You're the sweetest, I'm so happy you've taken the time to read this story. Thank you.**

 **(Also, still don't own Girl Meets World. Ouch. It burns my fingers to type that.)**


	6. Chapter 6

I glanced around my school. There were hundreds of students pushing and stumbling through the hallways, laughing or talking and just living. Breathing. There were so many people here with their own individual hopes, dreams, thoughts, feelings, wishes and -

My thoughts cut off when my gaze landed on Lucas. Demons, I added after a few seconds. We all had our own demons, too. I just hadn't figured out what his were yet.

It had been a couple months since Lucas's dinner with my parents, my brother and I. He had been over a couple more times, but we still mostly saw each other at school. I was tempted to tell him about the bay window entrance in my room so we could talk more freely (without either of my parents, although mostly my father, staring him down) but decided not to risk it. It wouldn't be worth my parents' reactions if they ever found out; they were still pretty suspicious of Lucas.

Besides, we still sometimes went places like the park or Svorski's. It wasn't like we were constantly surrounded by my mom or my dad. I couldn't complain too much.

"Morning, sunshine," he said, coming up to me.

I smiled widely. "Good morning, How are you today?" Everyday I would ask him the same question. I knew that it was rather irrational to hope that he might eventually open up to me if I continued asking him this same question, but hey. You can't blame a girl for trying.

"I'm with you, Riley. I'm great." Maya and Farkle were just a few feet away when he said that, waiting for us to enter my dad's classroom so they could walk in without even looking at us. That had been the cycle going on and on these past few weeks. Neither of them had even spoken to me, and I was slowly getting accustomed to it.

That didn't make the ache in my chest go away, though. I didn't mean to sound dramatic, I knew there were other people out there with bigger and much more important problems. But it was like I couldn't help it. The fact that they were still giving me the cold shoulder, even after all this time, was beginning to hurt. A lot. I would have figured they would have gotten over it by now, but apparently not.

I didn't look over at them, either, though. Most of the time, I only caught them from my peripheral vision. Every time I did risk a glimpse at them, they were either too busy talking to each other to notice, or pointedly ignoring me.

"Are you ready for class?" I finally asked Lucas, snapping myself out of my own thoughts. It had been getting easier and easier to get lost in thought around people these days. It was almost effortless to do so when I was all alone. And it seemed like every single one of my thoughts these days revolved around the three teenagers surrounding me at the moment.

He nodded, pushing the door open and holding it for me.I smiled hesitantly, walking inside after a couple seconds. I turned around, expecting him to be right behind me, like always, but he wasn't. He was still holding the door open, staring at Farkle and Maya expectantly.

They stared back blankly before Maya snorted, shaking her head. "No thanks, Cowboy."

He didn't even seem surprised at the nickname. I was, though. Really, really shocked. "Maya, come on. You're just going to have to open it again after I close it. Which, by the way, seems kind of pointless."

"Like your existence," she mumbled before reluctantly speaking up. "I don't want anything to do with you, haven't you comprehended that already?"

I flashed a worried look at my father, whose attention was fixated on the scene before us. I pursed my lips before stepping towards Lucas, Maya, and Farkle. It was the first time I had looked my two old friends in the eyes in ages, but I tried not to dwell on that. "Nobody's existence is pointless, Maya. And how did you know Lucas was-?"

"A cowboy? Huckleberry? Ranger Rick?" she asked abruptly, before laughing humorlessly. "What, didn't your perfect little friend ever tell you? I used to know him, long before he ever showed up at this school."

I snapped my head towards Lucas immediately. It felt like my heart was sinking, and sinking fast. "What?"

It was Maya who answered. "Remember when my mother and I went to visit my Aunt Clary in Texas last year? I ran into your lost puppy dog." I reluctantly focused on her, just to notice that she was gesturing at Lucas. "He was a total jerk, treated my mom and I like crap. He said that the blond city girls should stay in the city. He said that we didn't belong here."

I didn't believe it. I couldn't. "How did you even supposedly run into him?"

"Supposedly, huh. You don't even trust your best friend's very own word, that's a tad bit insulting, Riles. But whatever, I ran into him at some farmer's market my aunt insisted we go to. Apparently he could tell where my mother and I were from simply by judging our attire, isn't that right, Lucas?"

I looked back towards him, blinking slowly. "Lucas?"

He bit his bottom lip harshly before responding. "Riley, I can explain," he finally said, hesitantly laying his hand on my arm. I flinched away from him instantly, feeling like my heart was going to pound right out of my chest. Maybe it should, maybe then everything wouldn't feel like it was crashing down. or maybe it still would, but I might not care anymore.

"You just bullied innocent strangers?" My voice had raised a couple octaves now, making it sound very shrill. I was vaguely shocked that no glass was shattering.

"Not just strangers, honey. He was even picking on his own friends, treated them like they were roadkill. I'm honestly surprised they stuck around with you for so long. They must have been really desperate."

Lucas didn't bother even acknowledging Maya, keeping his gaze pointedly locked on me. "Riley, will you at least let me explain?"

I shook my head, taking a reflexive step back. "It might be a little too late for that. How come you never told me any of this? We've been friends for over two months, Lucas, and you never said anything to me about this." My voice cracked on the last word, but I kept going. "I thought you trusted me, you acted like you did, anyway."

"I was planning on telling you, but I just could never find the words," he muttered after a moment.

"No," I disagreed, my voice firm. "If you were ever planning on telling me, you would have mentioned it at least once these past two months. I thought you would have known that I could have been accepting. I could have helped you with whatever made you behave that way."

I couldn't believe that he had kept such a huge secret from me. These past couple months I had actually began to see him as a best friend, maybe even something more. But now, I had no doubt about anything. He did not reciprocate any of my feelings, the friendship ones or possibly anything more. Because if he had, he never would have kept such a gigantic secret to himself.

"Kids," my dad eventually spoke up, breaking the deafening silence. "It's time for class to start. You need to take a seat."

I shook my head only once, not bothering to as much as glance in his direction. My eyes were still practically glued to Lucas, even while I spoke. "I can't attend class today. I'm not feeling very well," I mumbled. It was a lame excuse, but it was all I had. I knew he would let me go no matter what I said, anyway.

I proved myself right when I brushed past Maya and Farkle, and not a single person called me back.

For the first time in my entire life, I was ditching class.

. . .

 **A/N: Bit of a time jump in this one, sorry about that. If you're curious, in this story it is currently March, meaning that Lucas arrived in January.**

 **All right, today I only have one question - are you siding with Riley or Lucas? Possibly neither of them? It's awesome to hear what you guys think, so don't hesitate to tell me. Thank you for reading! :)**

 **(Also, yeah, I still don't own Girl Meets World. Huh. That only gets more and more agonizing to type.)**


	7. Chapter 7

"I warned you about him."

Apparently Maya had figured I would be perfectly okay now that Lucas and I had our first ... whatever that was. Disagreement, I suppose. Like we were going to go back to the way it was before all of this ever occurred. Like I didn't have any reason at all to be annoyed at her; like I should be grateful that she was speaking to me again after all this time.

I shook my head at her. For the first time in forever, I was actually speechless. The fact that Lucas had kept such a huge secret from me hurt more than I had expected it would or could. In fact, it seemed like the pain was only growing stronger as the minutes passed. There was another emotion buried underneath the ripples of pain, though.

Betrayal. I felt like he had betrayed me.

It was irrational, I knew that much. He probably did have a reasonable excuse for keeping his past from me. I had always known he had a dark past, that much had been rather obvious. Maybe I was overreacting. I had always taught myself not to act on my emotions, to wait and hear the full story. Everybody had a reason for the things that they did, sometimes it just took awhile to get it out of them. But for the first time in my life, I had acted on my immediate emotions, not even bothering to consider the other person's point of view. It had never occurred to me how he might have felt when I flipped out on him like that.

Today was just chocked full of firsts, wasn't it?

"How come you never told me about what he said to you earlier?" I asked her after a couple moments, my curiosity getting the best of me. I had been hoping to avoid cracking first and finally saying something else to her, but alas, that was not going to happen today.

She shrugged. "I guess I figured you wouldn't believe me. You were making googly eyes at him from the day you fell onto his lap in the subway, Riley. I figured that you would have let your feelings for him cloud your better judgement."

"Feelings for him? Googly eyes? Maya, I'm not sure how you've been interpreting my friendship with Lucas, but that's all it is. Friendship. It has never been, and will never be anything more than that." It seemed meaningless to mention the fact that any chance of being more than just friends with Lucas had been tossed right out the window when I found out the truth, as well as when I reacted the way I did.

Not that it even mattered. My dad would have a heart attack if he thought there was anything more than platonic friendship between Lucas and I. Not only that, he would never allow us to be boyfriend-girlfriend.

But I didn't even like him in that way. So it wasn't like that bothered me at all. Not whatsoever.

"Whatever you say, Riley. Hey, you're sitting with me and Farkle at lunch today, right?" She was acting so innocent, almost as if she honestly thought everything would be all right again just like that. No apologies exchanged, never discussing those two months of ignoring each other's existence. None of it.

I shook my head again. "No, Maya, I'm not."

"You aren't going to sit with your lost puppy dog, are you?" Her tone was judgmental, almost like it would be completely insane for me to even consider forgiving him for keeping such a big secret from it. Except maybe it wasn't quite as big as I assumed it was when I first heard about it.

Oh, yeah. The bullying thing was a huge deal, I couldn't believe he had actually gone around picking on people like that. We needed to talk about that and hash out whatever caused it. But at the end of the day, life is all about choices. Something must have motivated him to choose to keep it from me. Besides, hadn't he mentioned that he had been planning on telling me eventually? I had no reason to freak out the way I did.

"He's not mine," I muttered about a few seconds of awkward silence. She snickered, which I chose to pointedly ignore. There was no reason to get into a debate with Maya about my friendship with Lucas. "He's my friend, Maya. I owe him an apology."

"You don't owe him anything, Riley! He should have told you. You do not always have to give people a million chances, you know. I'm never going to understand why that's so difficult for you to comprehend. Sometimes people don't deserve a billion or so chances."

Her words hit a little too close to home. It was almost ironic, coming from her. "This is the first time he's done anything to upset me, Maya. And of course he deserves an apology, I completely freaked out on him. He did nothing to deserve that aside from keep one secret. I hate to break it to you, Maya, but you two did the same exact thing and you're expecting things to be perfectly fine between us."

That was the second time today I lashed out at someone because of my emotions. As much as I was hoping this was only a phase and it would soon fizzle out, it still felt almost nice. It had been a long time since I had put my feelings ahead of someone else's. I had forgotten how incredible it can feel. It was like a tiny little reminder to myself, from myself, that how I felt mattered, too.

"But I'm your best friend," she said quietly, fiddling with her fingers. She wasn't looking me in the eye anymore, instead focusing on a sign hanging on the wall behind me. I stepped away from the sign, brushing past her and heading into the cafeteria. I paused once the doors swung open, easily catching it with my hand and holding it open for her.

"If we're really still best friends, I want you to do one thing to prove it."

She entered the cafeteria hesitantly, raising her eyebrows at me. "And what would that one thing be, peaches?"

I thought carefully before suddenly flashing her a wide smile. For once, I didn't have to keep myself from glimpsing at her, terrified that the numbness I had built around my hurt over the situation with her and Farkle might abruptly disappear. "I want you to give Lucas Friar a chance."

"Riley," she said, her tone warning.

I shut the large doors behind her, shaking my head quickly. "Nope. That's the only thing that's going to prove anything to me. I care about you a lot, Maya. But I care about him, too. It's time you two fixed your problems with each other while we're still young."

She snorted. "Riles, he isn't going to be in our lives forever. People are temporary, why would he be any different?"

That stung. Much more than it should have. Brushing it off, I shrugged weakly. "You never know, anything is possible, Maya. I hope you and Lucas and Farkle will all be in my life for as long as you guys can be. Even if Farkle's still mad at me."

Maya bit her lower lip lightly. "About Farkle ..."

"Yes?"

She hesitated before seemingly giving in, slumping her shoulders. "He isn't angry at you. He guessed that there was still some conflict between the two of us, which was correct at the time, and he decided to stay out of it. That was the only way to prevent it from turning into a total war, I s'pose. Because everybody knows that your little huckleberry would have picked your side without even needing to hear the story," she smirked.

I couldn't resist rolling my eyes at her. "Do I need to make a bigger emphasis on the word "friends," Maya? Perhaps remind you the definition of another great word? Yeah, this one is called "platonic." It's a real neat word, as well."

"Sarcasm, huh. Years and years of being around me and I never rubbed off on you once. Just a couple months of hanging around Ranger Rick and you're talking exactly like him. Aside from the badly hidden country accent, of course. I'm hoping you'll never be picking that up."

I ignored her, glancing around the cafeteria. The place was ginormous, possibly the biggest area in the whole school. Nonetheless, it had always been easy to find Lucas, even in a crowd of hundreds. Today was no different.

Except in a way, it sort of was. Because Lucas was no longer sitting at our usual table. Instead, he was sitting at another table a couple dozen feet away from ours, talking animatedly to the "popular girl" of our school, Missy Bradford.

It felt like my heart abruptly dropped to the floor. My stomach was churning again, almost as if something I had eaten did not agree with me. I knew that wasn't the case, though. It was not breakfast that disagreed with me, but the scene playing before my eyes.

Nothing was making any sense. It was like all of my thoughts had suddenly molded together, forming one huge, impossibly confusing and conflicting thought. A thought that made no sense whatsoever. Because there was no way that Lucas Friar would be hanging out anywhere near Missy Bradford. He had told me what felt like hundreds of times how much he disliked her and how she always acted like she was better than anyone.

But there was no way I could even begin to deny it. Lucas was sitting with Missy Bradford.

"On second thought, I'm not that hungry," I mumbled, taking a couple steps back. Maya watched me, concern in her bright blue eyes, but I simply shook my head at her. Trying to explain how I was feeling right now would only prove her theory about me having more than platonic feelings for Lucas, my supposed "last puppy dog." Not only that, it would turn her against him even more. Those two things were the absolute last things I needed right now.

"Riles?"

"I'm all right, Maya, no worries. But I have to go talk to my dad about something." What a lie. "It totally slipped my mind this morning, so I'll catch you later, yeah?"

"... Um, sure. No problem."

I forced a smile before darting through the large doors. It almost felt like adrenaline was pumping through my veins, which made no sense at all. Adrenaline and heartache typically did not mix together well. It led to reckless, irrational decisions.

All I could think of was how much I wanted to make a reckless, irrational decision right now, though. Anything to get my mind off of my latest realization. A realization that I couldn't even bring myself to think about for _half a second_.

. . .

 **A/N: Lucas and Missy, hmm. Thoughts, please? Thank you to everyone who reviewed on my last chapter, it was pretty great to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading!**

 **(Still do not own Girl Meets World.** ** _Grrreat_** **.)**


	8. Chapter 8

I could come up with nothing reckless. Nothing at all. It just wasn't me, or maybe this whole incident wasn't quite painful enough to bring that sort of reaction out of me. I couldn't help but hope that nothing would ever hurt enough to make me do something undeniably reckless. I didn't feel like having my heart crushed, or however all those poets describe their pain.

Not that I wasn't hurt, of course I was. My thoughts were getting the best of me and I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Lucas was already trying to replace me. It was irrational to think something like that just because he was talking to some girl. I wished I could get control of my mind again, feeling helpless like this was getting home.

I did end up walking right out of school, though. For the first time in my whole life, I had actually ditched school. I had gotten quite the lecture from my parents about doing that, but at least I wasn't grounded. I had managed to mumble something about how I had been feeling really sick. It must have sounded somewhat believable, because they ended up letting me right off the hook.

That was yesterday, though. Today was the next day, and I was going out of my mind. There was no way I could get out of school without getting grounded today. I had assured my parents repeatedly that I was feeling much better. Which was probably an idiotic thing to do, I ruined my own backup plan. It was plain and simple - I could not hide from this situation forever. It was awful enough I had about a dozen texts from Maya, wondering why I had disappeared from school so abruptly. Apparently she hadn't believed whatever my excuse was when I walked out of the cafeteria. I couldn't even recall what it was now.

"There you are, you had me worried sick." Well, so much for a couple minutes to myself before facing Maya and possibly Lucas. I spun around to face my best friend, forcing a wary smile. She, however, did not seem amused. She only seemed irritated and slightly concerned.

I headed over to where she was lingering by her locker, making sure to keep my (fake) smile plastered on my face. "Hey, sorry about yesterday. I started to feel really ill, so I decided to go home early."

She raised a single eyebrow. "And it didn't occur to you to respond to all my text messages?"

I shrugged, reaching over and opening my own locker. "I was puking, it was a bit difficult to even think straight, Maya," I said while tugging out my history book. I felt her gaze locked on me and knew that she didn't believe my story for a second, but decided to keep playing dumb. That might be my only way out of this inevitably awkward situation. Then again, I guess I didn't have anything to worry about as long as she didn't see Lucas sitting with Missy Bradford. The absolute worst thing that could happen would be her assuming that I ditched school because of that. Because then, of course, she would think that I had a crush on him or something.

Which I didn't. I think. I hope, at least.

But didn't Maya always say that hope was for suckers?

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Lucas hanging out with the bulldozer in the pink sweater aka Missy Bradford, right?" she asked, her tone full of false innocence.

I reflexively slammed my locker door shut and we both flinched back at the noise. I smiled sheepishly at her before shaking my head, tightening my grip on my textbook. "It had nothing to do with that, Maya. Lucas has every right to make new friends."

"Even with bulldozers?"

I shrugged again, hesitantly leaning against the lockers. "Even bulldozers. Who am I to stop him, anyway? He can make his own decisions, and besides, I don't even know if we're friends right now. Especially after what happened yesterday morning." My stomach began to churn as I realized that I would have to face Lucas in less than five minutes, considering the fact that I was almost certain he was in my dad's classroom right now. I tried to reassure myself by thinking that it might not be that bad, but deep down I knew that it was probably going to be worse than bad. Knowing my luck, it would be horrible and whatever the next thing was.

"Whatever you say, honey. Come on, we better get to your father's class before he freaks out and starts yakking on about punctuality and dedication or whatever," Maya muttered. She slung her book bag over her shoulder, heading into his classroom without bothering to wait for me. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for whatever was about to come, before striding inside, as well.

Lucas wasn't there.

I jerked my head towards my dad, almost instinctively. He had to know what was going on, he always did. "Daddy, where's Lucas?"

He pressed his lips together tightly, almost nervously. Which seemed pretty odd to me, because he never, ever got nervous. "About that ..."

"Uh-oh," Maya mumbled.

"Sweetheart, Lucas switched classes," he said softly.

I paused for a long moment, not quite comprehending. "Oh," I said at last. The fact that Lucas and I no longer had any classes in common was difficult to accept, which is most likely how come I felt pretty paralyzed. It was almost like all of my regular emotions were numb; it was like I couldn't even begin to think straight.

Keeping silent, I walked over to my usual seat, reluctantly sitting down. I could have sworn that my hands were shaking, something that always happened whenever I was overwhelmed, shocked, or nervous. Right now, though, I was only the first two. The one person in the world that made me feel nervous apparently no longer wanted anything to do with me.

"Funnily enough, Lucas decided to switch classes the same time another student did," my dad announced, chuckling lightly. The fact that he could actually laugh at a time like this seemed insane to me. It took me awhile to come to the realization that this was not a big deal to him at all. In fact, I was pretty positive the only person that was affected by this new change was me.

"Who?" Farkle asked, speaking up in class for the first time in weeks. I couldn't even bring myself to feel surprised. My emotions were still too numb.

"Charlie Gardner," my father said the exact same second another boy walked into the classroom. The boy's eyes immediately landed on me and he flashed me a small smile. I instinctively tried to return the smile, but I think I only managed a slight grimace. He didn't seem to mind, though. His smile only widened.

I saw Maya turn towards me from my peripheral vision, but didn't bother to turn towards her. "Riles?"

"Yes?" Even my voice sounded emotionless. I was already stared to hate this feeling of numbness.

"Everything is changing, isn't it?"

I nodded slightly, finally tearing my gaze away from the doorway, locking eyes with Maya. Her bright blue eyes were full of worry and excitement, two things that I never knew could go together before. "Yes," I answered bleakly.

She didn't say anything while Charlie took his new seat behind me. Neither did I, still struggling to come to terms with the fact that Lucas had wanted to avoid me this badly that he actually switched classes. Even Maya and Farkle didn't do that, and things with them had been pretty rough, too.

"The times," my dad spoke calmly, almost as if he was trying to reassure me. There was really no right way to tell him that his efforts were going to waste already. "They are-a-changing."

. . .

I didn't seem him until lunchtime, even though I had searched for him in the hallways between classes. He was chatting with Missy Bradford again and that's when I felt something. The first thing I had honestly felt since I found out he had switched classes.

Adrenaline.

I decided to take advantage of it, walking away from Maya without even glancing back. I would have to apologize to her for that later, considering the fact that I think she was trying to tell me something, but it was hard to worry about that. Especially when I was already only a few feet away from Lucas and Missy.

"What is the matter with you?" I asked him automatically. I caught sight of a few people giving me dirty looks for cutting in line, but I couldn't stress over them right now. This was the first time i had ever felt adrenaline this strong, and I was terrified of letting it go to waste.

He raised his eyebrows, not even seeming shocked that I popped up here so suddenly. I wondered if he had been expecting this. "What do you mean?" Missy seemed a little confused, though, even if Lucas did not. She didn't say anything yet, simply observing us.

"Why in the world did you switch classes like that?" I tried to keep my voice from sounding desperate, but I was failing miserably. I probably sounded like a lunatic, but there was no time to worry about that, either. This was the perfect, and possibly only opportunity to get some answers. I couldn't let this go to waste, either.

"Because I did."

I rolled my eyes. "Very descriptive. Seriously, what is going on with you lately? You're making me feel like-"

"Like _what_ , Riley?"

"Like I don't even know you!" I finally snapped. A few dozen people in the cafeteria turned their heads, curious about whether or not a fight was going to break out. It was times like this I really didn't understand teenagers, even though I was one. Didn't they have anything better to do than obsess over our lives whenever something interesting happened? Most of these boys and girls didn't even know our names.

He paused for a long moment, almost a full minute before eventually shaking his head. "Maybe you don't know me."

"Maybe I don't," I agreed. My tone came out harsher than I had intended, and I caught a flash of something (hurt?) in his eyes before it faded away quickly. It had been there for less than a second.

I didn't say anything when he stepped out of the lunch line then, Missy right behind him.

There was nothing left to say, anyway.

. . .

 **A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay on this update! I started high school Monday (freshman girl right here, nice) andso far it's pretty overwhelming. But enough about me. What did you guys think? Charlie and Missy are officially in the picture, and things are getting complicated between Lucas and Riley, yikes. Any thoughts?**

 **(Girl Meets World definition: something I do not own.)**


	9. Chapter 9

"Riley, get out here! I have great news!"

I trudged out of my bedroom, each step heavier than the next. I had just finished my homework, but I couldn't even recall what I had written. My thoughts were still centered around my argument with Lucas in the cafeteria this afternoon. The best idea was probably calling him and apologizing, thus being the bigger person. But something about that didn't seem right to me. He had hurt me, too. Maybe this was one time I couldn't be the bigger person.

"Yes, Dad?" Even my tone sounded annoyed. He seemed far too happy to even noticed, and I couldn't decide whether or not that irritated me. Eventually I came to the realization that it shouldn't even matter to me; I had bigger problems.

"Shawn is visiting this tomorrow!"

Shawn Hunter had been my father's best friend since ... well, I wasn't sure. Forever, I was guessing. Things with Shawn were still pretty awkward, due to the fact that I was certain that he didn't like me. At all. I had no idea what I had done to make him dislike me so strongly that he couldn't even look me at me, but I tried not to dwell on it.

It seemed painfully unfair that he was popping up the same time I was having problems with Lucas. Things were complicated enough already. As much as I wanted to seem brave and strong, I couldn't help but feel rather terrified. "That's great, Dad." I sounded deflated to my own ears, but he was too excited over Shawn's visit to notice. I managed to flash him a small smile before stumbling back to my bedroom. I had a lot of thinking to do.

. . .

The morning came quicker than I had anticipated. Which was a bit of a surprise, considering the fact that I had barely slept. I stumbled onto the subway with Maya by my side, not even bothering to pay attention to my surroundings. I had already told her about Shawn's upcoming visit, but decided to keep my speculations about how he felt about me to myself. I didn't want to seem whiny. and besides, we both had much bigger problems.

"Maya?" I asked her suddenly. The subway had just started, and I had to tighten my grip on the pole to keep from falling.

She finally tore her gaze away from the other side of the subway, where she had been intently watching for the past couple minutes. "Yes, peaches?"

"What happened when your dad came back?"

Her expression immediately hardened. I knew right away that I had asked her the worst thing possible, but couldn't bring myself to feel regretful. We were supposed to be trying to be friends again. Friends talk, but real friends listen. I wanted to listen to what was going on in her life.

Eventually she shrugged. "He came back so he could officially sign away his parental rights. He didn't want to keep handing out money for child support, and I wasn't important enough to keep in his life. He didn't even look at me when I showed up at the diner with Farkle. He acted like we were total strangers."

I bit my bottom lip hard. The guilt was slowly seeping in as I realized that I should have gone with her. I could have at least confronted her father and called tried to change his mind. Everybody deserves a father, Maya was no exception to that. I should have gone and fixed everything for her. That was practically my job. "I'm so, so sorry Maya."

She shrugged again. "I had been expecting this all along, so it isn't really much of a surprise. He isn't the type of person to care about very many people. He has his brand new family, anyway, why would he need his idiotic daughter that wasn't worth sticking around for?"

I shook my head reflexively. "You aren't idiotic, Maya. I can't believe him! What kind of person signs away their parental rights just to save a couple hundred dollars a month? This is so-"

"Careful, Riles, wouldn't want to use any explicit language. It steals away your innocence." Her tone was teasing, but I couldn't bring myself to even crack a smile. It was obvious how much this had hurt Maya, which automatically meant that this was no time for playful banter.

"I don't care," I mumbled. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

She looked down at the ground, eyebrows furrowed. "I didn't see any reason to. He already left me a long time ago, Riley. This was really nothing new, and the bits that were new, well, Farkle helped me get past those. Besides, by the time we started talking again you had your problems with your cowboy. You have enough on your plate, you don't need me stressing you out even more."

"Maya, you're my best friend, I want to be there for you." I paused, something suddenly sinking in. "Wait a minute. Farkle helped you through it?"

She laughed softly. "Yeah, he did."

Curiosity was getting the best of me again. I couldn't stop the next words from coming out. "Do you have feelings for him?"

I could almost see her building her walls up again when I asked her that. She didn't say anything for a long moment before gesturing across the subway, where she had been staring earlier. "Did you even realize that Ranger Rick is right there?"

If she was trying to distract me, it definitely worked. I instinctively glanced across the subway, my eyes locking on Lucas right away. He was scrolling past something on his cell phone again, just like the day I had met him. I hesitantly looked away, trying to focus on anything but him. Which was pretty difficult, considering the fact that it was taking all of my self control not to walk over to him. I didn't even know what I would do. There was still nothing left to say.

"Aren't you going to talk to him?" Maya asked, raising her eyebrows.

I shook my head. "Nooo. Everything is perfectly fine right here. The only thing that could possibly go wrong is if I go over there, which I'm not going to do. So I think it's about time we get back to the subject of you having feelings for Farkle, yeah?"

She paused fora long moment, glancing between Lucas and I. Her eyes locked on my hand, still tightly gripping the pole, before she gently grabbed it, tugging it away. It was suddenly difficult to breathe when I realized that she was planning something. The type of something that had the potential to change my entire destiny. "Maya, what are you going to do?"

She paused again before abruptly flashing me a half-smile. "I'm doing you a favor," she said, grinning innocently. The subway skidded to a stop the second she let go of my hand, sending me flying across the subway and-

Oh.

Oh.

Right into Lucas's lap. Just like the day I had met him.

I forced a weak laugh when I realized that his arms were wound around me, keeping me from slipping off and onto the floor. It sounded fake to me, but I hoped that he hadn't caught on.

"Hiii," I murmured breathlessly. "We were just talking about you."

. . .

 **A/N: I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter... oh, well. I hoped you guys liked it! It looks like Shawn's coming, Maya's dad is a total idiot (we already knew that, though), there might be something more than friendship between Farkle and Maya, and ... hmm. Oh, right. There's no way Riley can avoid Lucas now.**

 **Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful reviews! It makes my day to hear from you guys, so thank you. To everyone starting school, or everybody who has already started, good luck! I hope it's a fantastic year for you all.**

 **Also, for the guest that asked me if there's a jealous Lucas in the future ... I'm planning on it. ;) I hope freshman year is great for you!**

 **Longest author's note ever - finished.**

 **(I don't own GMW.)**


	10. Chapter 10

I couldn't believe that Maya had done that. Maybe I had high expectations for people, but weren't best friends supposed to help you out of awkward or uncomfortable situations, instead of literally throwing you into them? She knew how bad things between Lucas and I were right now. It made absolutely no sense why she would ever do this to me.

He kept his eyes locked on me, pausing for a long moment before finally responding, "Funny. I was just thinking about you."

I raised a single eyebrow in disbelief, hesitantly pulling hands away from his shoulders, where they had instinctively rested. "Were you?" I asked him, doubt coloring my tone. This time, he said nothing. I glanced up then, realizing that people were already beginning to climb off of the subway. Aside from Maya, who apparently hadn't moved a single inch, watching us intently. She waved teasingly when she caught my eye and I immediately tore my gaze away from her. I couldn't decide whether or not I was annoyed at her for doing this.

I awkwardly hopped off of Lucas's lap, smoothing out my dress. I bit my bottom lip lightly, using every ounce of my self-control not to look back at either of them. I headed after the other people who had already exited, trying to keep my head from spinning. What had just happened hadn't sunk in yet.

I did manage to walk away without looking back at Lucas or Maya, which I like to think was a huge accomplishment.

. . .

", Hey, Riley?"

I turned around reflexively, the unfamiliar voice catching me off guard. "Charlie Gardner, right?" I asked politely. I didn't understand why he was talking to me; he hadn't said a word to me before now. But whatever the reason was, it was most likely important. Meaning I would have to finish trying to yank my history book out of my locker in a couple minutes.

Which wasn't such a tragedy, of course. That thing was really jammed in there.

He nodded, quickly smiling widely. "Yeah, that's me. I was wondering if I could possibly ask you something?"

I shrugged simply, leaning against the locker besides mine. "Of course, go ahead. Ask away."

He laughed lightly, but it sounded somewhat nervous. I raised my eyebrows at him but didn't comment on it. He cleared his throat awkwardly, fiddling with his fingers. "I know we haven't really ever spoken before, but I like you. A lot, Riley. And ... I was wondering if you would want to go out with me sometime. Unless what everyone is saying is true, and you and that guy from Texas have a thing or something. If so, I'm really sorry. I honestly don't mean to intrude."

I paused for a long moment, struggling to keep my expression impassive. It didn't make any sense at all to me why Charlie Gardner would be asking me out on a date. Like he had said, we had never really talked to each other before. None of this was making any sense. "... What?"

He laughed, but this time it sounded even more nervous than it had before. "I'm asking you out on a date, Riley. But if you really do like that friend of yours-"

"No," I said automatically. The last thing that I needed was even more people thinking that I had feelings for Lucas. it was already awful enough that Maya and probably even were Farkle were convinced that I liked him. "Lucas and I are just friends, Charlie. We always have been and always will be."

"Oh," he said, suddenly even more cheerful than before. He was grinning now, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Well, that's great!"

I didn't say anything, instead choosing to turn around. I stepped back over to my locker, latching onto my history book again and finally tugging it out. I smiled to myself, quietly shutting my locker door.

"Unless you want to be more than friends with Lucas?" Charlie pressed, seeming slightly less joyful now. "I mean, I just figured there must have been a problem between you two since he switched classes and he started spending all of his time with that other girl."

I glanced down at the floor, the dull ache in my chest becoming even more painful. It didn't make any sense to me why the thought of Lucas and Missy spending so much time together mattered so much to me. I didn't understand the sudden weight in my stomach now that I was thinking about it, the same weight that appeared whenever I saw them together. This feeling was supposed to have faded away by now, that's what I had promised myself. But instead, it was like it was only getting stronger. I swallowed hard, the struggle to remain emotionless becoming harder and harder as the seconds passed.

"My feelings for Lucas are just platonic, Charlie," I muttered after awhile, reluctantly turning back around once I plastered a smile on my face. "Always have been. Always will be."

He smiled even wider now. "Really?"

"Really. But I do have an old family friend coming to visit soon, and I honestly need to focus on that. Is it all right if I take awhile to think about it and get back to you when I can?" I asked hopefully, making sure to keep the smile on my face intact.

He nodded immediately, not seeming the least bit upset. "Of course, Riley. It's absolutely on problem at all. Hey, you're about to head to history class, right? No other stops first?" I nodded and he flashed me another wide smile, leaning over and pushing the door open, holding it for me. "After you."

I smiled back tentatively, hesitantly striding inside. It was strange to be around someone who was as positive as I was. But then again, maybe it was the type of thing that I could get used to.

I plopped down in my usual seat, glancing around fleetingly. I noticed right away that, although Farkle was already here, Maya was not. I accidentally caught his eye and he looked towards me, seeming reluctant. I bit my lower lip gently before smiling slightly at him. "Good morning."

He opened his mouth, almost as if he was about to say something, but immediately closed it the second Maya walked through the door. He kept his eyes locked on her now, not even bothering to as much as glance back in my direction.

Those two definitely had feelings for each other. That much was painfully obvious. And it was up to me to fix everything and make sure that they got together.

. . .

"Riley?"

I snapped my head up immediately, the familiar voice catching me off guard. "Lucas?" I had just gotten out of history class, considering the fact that I was the last person to leave. My dad had wanted me to stay back so he could freak out to me about Shawn's upcoming visit even more. I swear, it was like he was obsessed.

But that was besides the point at the moment. Lucas was talking to me, and I had no clue why.

"I was thinking and ... I wanted to apologize," he said slowly, biting his bottom lip roughly. "I should have told you about everything that happened back in Texas, and I'm sorry that I didn't."

I pressed my lips together firmly, keeping my eyes locked on him. He was dressed in all black, as usual. Even his leather jacket was beginning to look somewhat worn now, a good match with the ripped jeans and tattered sneakers. There was no reason to deny it - Maya had been correct about one thing. Dark and broken, I was infatuated with him.

"No, it's perfectly fine. It makes sense, people open up at their own pace. I should have understood that back then, and I'm sorry that I didn't."

He smirked slightly, shaking his head to himself. "I still think that I'm in the wrong here, but whatever makes you happy, sunshine."

There was that nickname again. My chest tightened then, and the abrupt fluttering feeling in my stomach was so painful that I could barely catch my breath. My stomach was aching like I was going to be sick, but I couldn't understand why; I only had oatmeal for breakfast, for crying out loud. I swallowed hard, hesitantly breaking eye contact with him and glancing down at the ground instinctively. I cleared my throat after a moment, laughing nervously. "It's fine, Lucas," I muttered.

The feeling in my stomach intensified and I inhaled sharply, still terrified to look back up at him again. This was it. There was positively no way that I could stay in denial anymore. These were not the same feelings I had the first week, heck, the first day I had met him. They were so, so much stronger, and it was almost as if they were getting stronger as the days passed. I could no longer blame this on friendly, platonic infatuation, despite what I told others and even myself. I couldn't even get away with blaming this on simple infatuation. It was more than that, I knew that much. And maybe I had known this for awhile now. Maybe I hadn't.

But this was it. I couldn't go around playing pretend anymore.

 _I liked Lucas_.

. . .

 **A/N: I'm so sorry for the delayed update, guys! I had finished this chapter but I had accidentally deleted it and had to rewrite it. Even though I like the original version better, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There's a lot of big things I have planned for this story, and this chapter set a few of them in motion. Don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts, it's incredible to hear from you all! Thank you for reading and reviewing, as well as following and favoriting!**

 **(Unfortunately, I still don't own Girl Meets World. Sigh.)**


	11. Chapter 11

Actually, no. I needed to add a little bit to that realization of mine.

I really, really, really liked Lucas Friar. So much it was actually somewhat difficult to comprehend. Which of course wasn't saying very much - it felt like my head had been spinning nonstop since the day I fell onto his lap on the subway. The scary part was that I was pretty sure I had liked him from the moment I saw him. And as much as I wanted to stay in Denial Land, I couldn't anymore. It was time to face facts.

"Riley? You okay?"

Oh, that's right. Lucas, the boy I liked very much -more than I probably should- was literally right there. I finally glanced back up at him, forcing a tentative smile. "Of course, no worries. I just got lost in thought, you know how that is."

He paused, keeping his eyes locked on me before eventually shrugging. "I guess so. Everything between us ... is it okay now?"

"More than okay," I said immediately. "Really, everything is fantastic. But I do have a family friend coming to visit today-"

"Oh, who?" His tone was only politely interested (an actual rarity from him) but it still took me a moment to remember how to speak.

"Shawn Hunter," I said at last. "He's my dad's old best friend, they've known each other since forever. Dad says Maya and I are a lot like them, so I'm guessing I'll be finding out about that soon enough. If Maya comes to meet him this time, I mean. But you probably figured that part out on your own, or maybe not." I was rambling, which was pretty embarrassing. I hoped I wasn't making my feelings too obvious. It would be kind of terrible if he realized I liked him just a couple minutes after I did.

He chuckled. "Nice. Well, have fun."

I laughed nervously. "Thanks."

"Hey, Riles- oh," Maya cut off abruptly, her gaze locking on Lucas. She seemingly hesitated before smirking. "Hey, Huckleberry. Finally apologized?"

As much as I wanted to turn towards my best friend, it was like I couldn't bring myself to tear my gaze away from Lucas. I wondered if it was going to be like this all the time now that I knew I had more-than-friends feelings for him. Because if so, he was going to realize how I felt within the next couple days. Then the inevitable sorry-you're-just-a-friend speech would come along from him and I would feel completely crushed.

Because let's be honest, it was painfully obvious that he would never return my cliche little feelings.

"Why exactly does it matter to you, Hart?"

"Okaaaay," I interjected quickly. "Why can't we all be friends here? I care about you both"-just in different ways, obviously-"and I'm going to be spending a lot of time with the both of you. Why not just try to get to know each other and see what happens? You never know, it could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Maya snickered. "Sorry, Riles, but I don't typically befriend thoughtless rangers who spontaneously decide to pick on random people. And their own close friends."

"And I try to stay away from conceited city girls who drift away from their best friend just because they're hanging about someone they dislike," Lucas said, grinning sarcastically. "Really, you aren't one to judge. You didn't want anything to do with Riley for months, and then one day my friendship with her is threatened and you try to act like you never left her."

I didn't say anything. I didn't think it would be possible for me to even move now. Maybe this is what happens when you go into shock. All I knew was that this was like a car accident - deep down, you know you need to look away or try to help the situation and make sure that no one is hurt, but you can't. You're just frozen in place.

Maya literally flinched back, crossing her arms defensively. "I don't leave people, Ranger Rick. I'm a stayer. I'm the one that gets left, you're the one that attempts to hurt people you don't even know and keep gigantic secrets from the only friend you have in this stupid city."

Lucas chuckled humorlessly. "And what exactly are you doing, Maya? You don't know me at all. You've made assumptions about me from the moment you saw me here and maybe I can understand that. People make assumptions all the freaking time, there's no reason why you should be any exception to that. But you cannot go around acting like you know everything about me. Because you don't."

Maya smiled dryly. "And do you know me, either?"

He shook his head. "No. No, I don't know you, Maya. But it isn't like I want to, either. I don't want a lot of friends here, because it's only a matter of time before I get kicked out of this place, you know?"

That caught my attention enough to snap me out of my paralyzed haze, at least. "Why in the world would you get kicked out of here, Lucas?"

He looked towards me reluctantly, biting his bottom lip hard. "I'm not the type of person who can stick around in one place for too long, Riley. It's just ... it's a long story, and it's one I would rather not explain around your little blond friend."

Maya leaned against the lockers then, arms still tightly crossed. "Whatever you say in front of Riley, you might as well say in front of me. Even if she decides to keep it to herself, I'll inevitably find out. I'm her best friend, remember?"

"Yeah, I've been noticing that," Lucas muttered. He sighed after a moment, which I supposed meant he was already giving in. "You might as well invite that boyfriend of yours to join in, too, Maya," he added half-heartedly, nodding towards Farkle, who was talking to a few people from debate club across the hall.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Yet," I mumbled.

Maya rolled her eyes at me before waving Farkle over. He said one last thing to his other friends before striding over to us, seeming hesitant. "Is everything all right?"

"Ranger Rick is finally spilling all the juicy details about his life back in Texas, figured he might as well invite the both of us to join in." She bit her lip while she glanced over at Farkle, which only helped proved my theory about her having feelings for him. I had picked up on quite a few of Maya's absentminded habits after all these years of friendship, and that was one of the things she always did whenever she was around somebody she liked.

It was uncomfortable, knowing she had probably been doing all of these things around him for ages and I was just now noticing.

Farkle looked over at Lucas, seeming confused. "How come?"

Lucas shrugged simply, fleetingly glancing over at me before looking back at Maya and Farkle. "You both matter to Riley. Since she matters to me, I should probably get to know you both."

"Even if you're convinced they'll be kicking you out soon?" Maya asked, smirking slightly.

"Sure, why not?" he muttered, exhaling. "So, I'm guessing I should most likely start at the beginning?"

Maya snickered under her breath, nodding after a couple seconds. "That is usually where people start, yeah."

The bell rang then, interrupting our conversation. Lucas chuckled lightly, and it almost sounded humorless. "I suppose I probably should have remembered that we still have a few more classes left, right?"

"That might have been a good thing to remember, yeah," Maya said, smiling sweetly. Farkle grinned slightly, glimpsing at her fleetingly. It wasn't until she looked over at him that he glanced away, feigning interest in the row of lockers across from us.

Had they always done that sort of thing, even when Farkle and I were dating? It made no sense to me, how I never noticed before. Had I just been too oblivious?

"How about after school?" Farkle asked after a moment. He still didn't seem too excited about talking to Lucas, but at least he was giving him a chance. Even if it was only half hearted. I couldn't ask much else from him and Maya. "We basically have unlimited time then."

This was one of those times life was most likely laughing at me. "I can't," I sighed softly. "My dad's friend is coming to visit and my father expects me to be there."

Lucas, Maya, and Farkle all exchanged a look, suddenly grinning. Not wanting to feel left out, I forced a short laugh. "Why the simultaneous grins, guys?"

"Why don't we hang out at your apartment today, Riles?" Maya asked, although it was also sort of answering my question. Weird. "That way, Farkle and I can get to know your Ranger Rick a little better-"

"Her Ranger Rick?" Lucas interrupted, actually seeming shocked. My face warmed up immediately, and I made a mental note to remind Maya yet again that Lucas and I were just friends. Unfortunately.

Although I may want to casually leave out the "unfortunately" part, unless I wanted her to start going on and on about how she knew it all along. I loved my best friend, I really did. But that was the absolute last thing that I wanted to hear right now.

"-and we can all meet your daddy's imaginary friend."

I laughed lightly. "He's real, Maya. I've met him myself."

She shrugged, unfazed. "Who cares? It'll irritate your dad if I constantly insist that he's fake until the guy actually shows up. I don't get much entertainment out of life these days, Riley. Don't take away annoying Mr. Matthews, it's pretty much all I have left."

I smiled, shaking my head to myself. "Of course. Well, I guess that sounds fair. It would be pretty awesome for you guys to be there when Shawn gets there."

Farkle raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason, or ...?"

I bit my lower lip gently, before shrugging. "I don't think he likes me very much," I admitted. The second bell rang there, and we all flinched at the screeching noise. We all looked at each other, cringing slightly before heading to our next class.

. . .

 **A/N: Hmm. I'm guessing this means Riley, Lucas, Maya, and Farkle are kind of a group now, eh?**

 **I honestly don't know. I'm literally making this up as I go, I don't even know how I'm going to end this thing. Oh, well.**

 **Feel free to tell me what you guys think! Your reviews are motivating me to keep writing, actually, because I love hearing what everyone thinks! Also, yeah, still don't own Girl Meets World. Sigh. The tears are real.**


	12. Chapter 12

"So, your dad is completely convinced that you and I are just like him and his imaginary friend?"

I nodded at Maya, not even bothering to remind her that Shawn Hunter was very, very real. It was getting kind of pointless, she was basically ignoring everything that I said about that. "Mhm. He goes on and on about it, especially recently. I haven't caught any parallels between the two of you quite yet, but then again, I barely know the guy."

Lucas, Maya, Farkle and I were all hanging out in the living room while my mom and dad stood in the kitchen. My dad was pressuring her to make the perfect meal for Shawn. I was patiently waiting for the moment she would tell him to get out of her face, but it hadn't happened yet. She must really, really love him; Even I was getting a little annoyed, and I wasn't even the one he was talking to.

"Aren't you the least bit worried about how Joshua might feel, since I just know you're going to casually forget his existence the second you see Shawn?" my mom asked after a brief moment, raising her eyebrows at my father.

"He won't mind. In fact, I'm betting he even sees it coming."

I stood up from the sofa then, eyebrows furrowing together tightly. "How come nobody told me that Uncle Josh was coming?"

My dad shrugged, grinning widely. "Because Shawn's coming! And he's the most important person in the whole world!"

My mom shook her head to herself. "My whole life."

"Uncle Josh?" Maya and Lucas asked in unison. The two glanced at each other fleetingly before quickly looking back at me, waiting expectantly. It wasn't until then that I remembered I had never brought Uncle Josh up while I was telling Lucas about my family. I wasn't even sure I had told him about Uncle Eric and Aunt Morgan.

Maya and Joshua barely knew each other. They had met only once, when Maya and I were ten and Josh was thirteen. It was Christmastime, and Aunt Morgan had been babysitting us. She had completely spoiled us with toys and candy, then promptly told mu father she had been very stern and commanding with us, already helping us learn the mechanism of society. I still remembered her winking at us afterwards, mouthing "hide the candy."

Yeah. Aunt Morgan was pretty cool.

Since that had been four years ago, I couldn't help but wonder if Maya even remembered Josh. He was seventeen now, already trying to get into NYU, the college that was, coincidentally enough, very close to where my parents, Auggie, and I lived. My mom had a theory that he was applying there so he could be closer to his older brother, but my dad insisted that it was only because NYU was such an amazing school.

Awkwardly enough, Auggie laughed in his face the first time he said that.

So obviously Uncle Josh admired my dad. He and I had a pretty great relationship, too, although we weren't exactly close. Which everyone said was fairly understandable. We were both teenagers, caught up in our own friends and hopes and dreams and such.

"You never really mentioned him before," Lucas said after a moment. I grinned sheepishly, pointedly ignoring Maya's smirk. Of course she would be pleased that I hadn't told "my Ranger Rick" every single thing about my life.

"What time are they supposed to be getting here?" I asked, turning to face my dad. He opened his mouth, just about to respond, when the intercom buzzed.

He let out a girlish shriek -Maya could barely keep herself from cracking up, that much was obvious- and raced over to the intercom. "Shawn-y!" he yelped, practically jumping up and down. He calmed down after a minute, his grin fading slightly. "And the other one."

I could hear Joshua's sigh. "Yeah, okay."

"You guys are going to love Josh," I announced after a few seconds. As nervous as the thought of seeing Shawn was making me, I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing Uncle Josh. "And Maya, you'll never believe how much he's changed!"

"You've met him before?" Farkle asked, locking his eyes on Maya again.

She shrugged simply. "Once, when I was ten. He's like seventeen now, isn't he?"

I laughed lightly, something finally sinking in - so many people that I cared about were going to be in the same area within seconds. It was an exhilarating feeling, honestly. "Yes, he is. It's so weird to think that's he's going off to college next year. It feels like yesterday he was just thirteen. And we were, you know, ten."

She snickered. "Riles, it's been four years."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Details, details."

My dad slowly turned to face us, his grin even wider than it had been originally. "Shawn Hunter, my best friend since-"

"Forever? Is it forever? Yeah, I know," Maya rolled her eyes. "Do you even stop talking about that boyfriend of yours, Mr. Matthews?" Farkle snickered, but quickly tried to turn it into a cough when he caught the deadpanned expression on my father's face.

"He's not my boyfriend!" he insisted.

Maya nodded slowly, beginning to smirk yet again. "Sure he isn't, buddy. Sure he isn't."

I laughed, walking over and pulling the door open without bothering to wait for them to knock. I already knew that they were on the other side. I didn't even know how it was possible, but apparently it was. And there they were.

Shawn Hunter and Joshua Matthews.

If this was a TV show on Disney Channel, this would be the perfect opportunity for the applause track to go off, pretty much deafening anyone whose volume was over thirty. But nah, this was real life. There were no applause tracks in the background of this story.

"Shawn!" My dad shouted, literally pushing past me and tugging Shawn into what I assumed was a bone-crushing hug. Maya grinned, taking a few steps back to get a better look at them. She shook her head after a moment, mumbling something that sounded vaguely similar to "exactly like a married couple."

Josh chuckled, pulling me in for a brief hug before stepping back slightly. "It's good to see you, niece. And I see you have a few guests of your own. Do I get names, or ...?"

I laughed again. Everything suddenly felt very lighthearted. Almost like everything was actually going to be okay. It was a refreshing feeling, especially after these past couple months. "Of course you do. Uncle Josh, this is Farkle Minkus, Lucas Friar, and even though you've already met her, Maya Hart."

"Nice to meet you," Lucas and Farkle said simultaneously. They turned to each other in confusion before seemingly shrugging it off.

Josh nodded, smiling slightly. "Same to you two. And Maya, wow ..." he paused, biting his bottom lip lightly. "You look really different."

"So do you," she said breezily, plopping down on the couch. "Seventeen, whoa. College is coming up and all that boring stuff."

He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, you grew up beautiful," he mumbled before walking towards the kitchen, pulling my mom into a quick hug.

I turned towards Maya after only a couple seconds, raising my eyebrows reflexively. "Wow. Josh doesn't typically compliment people."

She shrugged, seeming totally unfazed that a seventeen year old guy had just called her beautiful. No wonder everyone referred to her as cool. They weren't wrong at all. "Yeah, I heard, Riles."

My dad and Shawn eventually pulled away from each other, laughing breathlessly. "I'm guessing that means you're happy to see me?"

"Does it show?" my father asked nervously. Shawn chuckled quietly, nodding once.

Lucas took a few steps towards me, leaning closer to me. I bit my bottom lip hard; It felt like my heart was going to pound right out of my chest.I had never gotten this feeling with Farkle, not even when we were a couple. I had no idea how to deal with this. "You said you don't think that Shawn likes you, right?"

I smiled slightly, taking an instinctive step away from him. I didn't want to risk doing or saying anything stupid, and his close proximity was kind of muddling my thoughts. "Yeah. But it isn't a big deal, really. Don't worry about it."

"I'm going to worry. How could anyone not like you?"

I swallowed nervously, raising my eyebrows again. It felt like I was doing that a lot lately. "Do you like me?"

He stared at me for a moment, pressing his lips together firmly. I hated how I was hyper-aware of every little action that he did. Liking somebody was a lot of work, wasn't it? "Of course I do."

Auggie came stumbling out of his bedroom then, running up to us. "I heard Uncle Josh!"

Joshua grinned slightly, quickly coming up to Auggie, Lucas and I. "Yes, you did. How have you been, little guy?"

"I'm in loooove!"

Josh laughed loudly. "Oh, really? Tell me about the lucky girl."

"Her name is Ava and she has her own theme song and pretty blond hair and stuck up parents and I love her!" my younger brother cried, hopping up and down a couple times. "But Ava and I aren't the only ones in love around here."

Lucas chuckled, ruffling Auggie's hair slightly. "Your parents, of course."

"Well, yeah, them too. But I was talking about you and Riley!"

Oh, jeez.

I felt my face heat up immediately. A dead giveaway about my feelings, of course. Hoping that no one would notice, I forced a light laugh. "Aren't kids funny?"

Josh smiled, but it seemed disbelieving somehow. Almost as if he was only humoring me. "They are. So how long have you and Lucas Friar been going out?"

"Two months," Maya answered unhelpfully.

"What?!" my dad practically screeched, finally focusing on something that was not Shawn. As great as that was, why did it have to be the one thing in the whole world that made me painfully uncomfortable? Even my mom seemed caught off guard. That was never a positive sign, considering how rarely anything like that happened.

"She's just joking," I said quickly, giggling nervously. I sounded like a total whackjob, but hopefully everyone would be too caught up in their shock to notice. "Lucas and I are just friends. Isn't it obvious?"

"Actually, Riley, it kind of seems like you've had a thing for each other since the first day he came here," Farkle interjected. He didn't even seem upset, which was a bit strange, since that was back when we were dating.

Then again, had we even really dated? It wasn't like we had ever kissed, and it had always felt pretty awkward whenever we held hands or hugged for a long period of time. Almost like it was completely forced. On both sides.

"Thank you, Farkle," Lucas said quickly, shooting Farkle a warning look. Apparently Maya had been rubbing off on him, because he simply smirked teasingly.

Which gave me an idea.

"Shouldn't we discuss Maya and Farkle's relationship? Honestly, you guys act like you've been together your whole life," I said, smiling innocently.

"They're a thing?" Uncle Josh asked, gesturing to Farkle and Maya.

They both shook their head almost right away. "We're just friends," they denied in unison. I couldn't help but notice how flat both their voices sounded. It was like they were both disappointed over how very true their statement was.

"Interesting life you've made for yourself here, Cory," Shawn said after a moment, breaking the awkward silence.

He chuckled. "Tell me about it."

. . .

A/N: Shawn and Josh are here! Yeah, not going to lie, the Joshua thing came out of nowhere. But a little conflict for Farkle and Maya couldn't possibly hurt, right? ;D So, two questions for you guys - who is your favorite character so far? Is there anyone you would like me to introduce? I have a couple ideas so far, but I still love hearing suggestions, as well as what you all think. Thank you so much for reviewing, following and favoriting! So far we have 47 reviews (AHHH) - think we could hit 50 before Chapter 13? :D Thanks for reading!

(I don't own Girl Meets World. Siiiigh.)


	13. Chapter 13

"Back to what I was talking to you about," Lucas muttered after a moment. He glanced around fleetingly before latching onto my wrist, gently dragging me over to the window in the living room. I sat down, carefully crossing my legs and raising my eyebrows at him expectantly. He stared at me for a few seconds before sitting literally right besides me. There was barely any distance between us at all, our arms and legs faintly brushing against each other.

"Yes?" I somehow managed to choke out. The butterflies were making an incredible return, and as amazing as the feeling was, it was also kind of terrifying. I was still trying to figure out how to hide what I was feeling inside. It was pretty obvious that I was nothing like Lucas or Maya in that sense - I wasn't skilled when it came to hiding my real emotions. But I guessed that I would have to learn eventually, I might as well begin now.

He bit his bottom lip roughly, looking over to where my dad and Shawn were hovering by the doorway, talking excitedly. He didn't turn back to face me when he spoke, instead keeping his gaze locked on them. "How could anyone possibly not like you, Riley Matthews?"

I swallowed hard, my nervousness beginning to get the best of me. It was a shame Maya didn't willingly teach people how to hide their feelings without a million questions. Then I might not feel so horrified right now. Probably not, though. "Not everyone is going to like me, Lucas. Even if I care about them." My own words hit a bit too close to home, causing my eyebrows to furrow together tightly.

Lucas shook his head immediately. "No. It isn't possible at all, Riley. Do you know why?"

"Why?" I really disliked how my voice was shaking. What a dead giveaway.

"Because you are the sunshine. Not just mine, you're everybody's sunshine, sunlight, whatever you want to call it. You make it your life purpose to make everyone else happy before even considering helping yourself out, and you don't deserve to feel disliked. By anyone. I don't care if he's your father's best friend since whatever, how he's making you feel is wrong."

My eyes widened slightly before I forced a nervous laugh, fiddling with my fingers. "It's perfectly fine, Lucas. I doubt he even knows what he's doing, and besides, I honestly don't mind. Thank you, though."

He shook his head again, faster than the last time. "I do mind, though," he mumbled before abruptly hopping over. He was already striding over to Shawn and my dad before I could even process what was about the happen. Nonetheless, I quickly stood up, hesitantly walking over to the three of them.

"What's that?" Shawn asked after a moment, gesturing to Lucas boredly. Lucas smirked but didn't say anything. Biding his time, I assumed.

Dad chuckled. "That's Lucas. He thinks he's dangerous."

"Don't you think getting kicked out of school counts as "dangerous," Mr. Matthews?" Lucas asked in a falsely polite tone, grinning sarcastically at my father.

"You got kicked out of school?!" I heard someone yelp, their voice cracking on the last word. It took me awhile to realize that it had been me.

Maya and Farkle were by my side within seconds, their arms immediately crossing. I could tell that they were probably preparing for another argument between Lucas and I, in which they would actually help me out this time. I knew I wasn't going to allow this to stoop to that again, but it was still a sweet gesture. Kind of, at least. I would have to thank them at a later time. As in, not right now. Because it was excruciatingly obvious that I had much bigger problems on my plate at the moment.

Shawn's eyebrows shot up in mild shock. He relaxed a couple seconds later, pressing his lips together tightly before looking over at my father. "You knew about this, didn't you? That's why you always tell me how worried you are over your daughter spending so much time with the kid from Texas?"

My father nodded slowly, watching me carefully. "Yes, I did, and so did Topanga. But I'm guessing that you three were unaware of this?" he asked calmly, gesturing to Farkle, Maya and I. We all nodded, even though my nodding was much slower than theirs. I blamed it on the shock.

"I'm sorry, Riley," Lucas said quietly, reluctantly turning around to face me. "I was afraid of how you might think of me and it just came out right now and-"

"It's fine," I interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore. I had promised myself I would try to become more understanding over his past. I knew that it was chocked full of awful surprises, and people are often wary of tell another all about the darkness clouding up their past. "We can talk about it later, if you'd like."

I could tell how taken aback Maya and Farkle were over my completely calm reaction, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything to explain myself. I knew that Maya would inevitably rant me out for being so understanding, but that was the sort of thing I would deal with when I absolutely needed to. For once in my life, I wanted to procrastinate a little.

Lucas didn't say anything for a long minute, biting his bottom lip hard again. He spun around after a moment, turning to face Shawn again. "How could you possibly not love someone like Riley Matthews? Can't you see how amazing she is, or should I go out and buy you some glasses? Unless you think you're too good for them, of course. Seems like the type of person you are."

"Whoa," I breathed almost silently. Even Maya, who could admittedly be bitingly sarcastic and occasionally mean seemed surprised. Needless to say, so was my mom, Auggie, Josh, my dad, Farkle, and Shawn Hunter himself.

"Lucas-" my dad started, his tone warning, but Shawn held up a single hand to silence him.

"No, go ahead. Let the little rebel speak. I kind of want to hear everything he has to say."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I sincerely doubt you want to hear everything I have to say. A pretty large majority of it is explicit, and there is a five year old around. But how about I edit it a bit, and try this?" He paused, clearing his throat before continuing. "You made Riley, my actual sunshine, think that you somehow do not like her. And that isn't all right with me. You know why?"

"Why?" Josh asked, speaking up for the first time since Lucas decided to go all crazy and confront Shawn.

Lucas didn't even glance at Joshua. His attention was completely fixated on Shawn and my dad. But mostly Shawn. "Because I care about her. A lot. And I don't want anyone to hurt her. She's already had enough drama because of me these past couple months, she doesn't deserve you making her feel awful, as well."

"Whoa," Maya breathed this time, her voice barely audible, even in the crowded room's sudden deafening silence.

Auggie stumbled towards Lucas, Maya, Farkle and I, tugging on the lower hem of my shirt impatiently. I glanced down at him when he didn't quit, raising a single eyebrow. "What is it, Auggie?"

"I think that boy is in love with you," my little brother announced, not even bothering to feign whispering anymore.

"Yeah, you know what, so do I," Maya mumbled, her voice only a tad bit louder this time. Except this wasn't her usual playful teasing tone. She was undeniably serious.

. . .

 **A/N: Looks like Lucas is getting all fired up over Riley's behalf, hmm. This is about the point where a normal writer would hint at what's coming next, but honestly I haven't got a clue. Thank you so much for all your reviews; We currently have 55! This is awesome! Feel free to tell me what you thought about this chapter, it's great to hear from you guys!**

 **(I don't own Girl Meets World. But I might someday. In an alternate universe like this one.)**


	14. Chapter 14

There are some things you just get used to after awhile. Frequent traditions simply begin to resemble habits more, like how Maya used to pick me up every morning at seven for school. Or, in my dad's case, Cyclone Day. Even though it only happened once a year, it was basically his reason for waking up in the morning. Unfortunate, I didn't see that changing anytime soon. Even last year I had ended up blowing off my very first school dance to go with him.

And then there were the things I would just never get accustomed to. My friends and I have stuck up for each other since the beginning of time, but it still always came as a huge shock to me whenever they stood up for me. Needless to say, today was one of the biggest surprises in my young life.

Shawn paused for a rather long moment, not once looking away from Lucas. He bit his bottom lip hard after awhile, finally glancing over at me. The first time he had even looked at me since his arrival. "Why in the world would you think that I don't like you, Riley?"

I shrugged, fiddling with my fingers nervously. Although I knew it had to be addressed eventually, I had been hoping I could avoid it for awhile. Maybe even a couple more years. "I don't know ... you never really talk to me and it feels like you don't know me at all. Mostly because I don't think we've ever had a real conversation. What am I supposed to think?"

"Riley," my father warned, his eyes narrowing. "It's been so long since we've seen Shawn, I don't think it's fair for you guys to just-"

"No, it's fine," Shawn interjected calmly. "I like that her little boyfriend has guts. He seems to be rubbing off on her."

Dad chuckled humorlessly. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

I ignored him completely, crossing my arms defensively while I watched Shawn. "We're just friends. Besides, I don't mean to start an argument or anything, and neither did Lucas. But I guess you could say that curiosity is getting the best of me, and I want to know if I did anything wrong to make you hate me."

"You could never-"

"Quiet, Huckleberry," Maya rolled her eyes, reluctantly looking over at Lucas. "You've been around here long enough to realize that this is about the time that Mr. Matthews life lesson kicks in. None of us would exactly appreciate you talking over it."

Shawn paused again, staring at Maya before exhaling, focusing on me again. He still seemed rather hesitant, but we were making some progress. I couldn't complain. "I don't hate you, Riley. You're my best friend's kid - how could I possibly hate you?"

"Why don't you come around anymore?" I asked suddenly. Apparently, my curiosity had a mind of its own these days. "I've heard all the stories about the adventures you went on with my dad back when you guys were my age and older. You two were inseparable, right? But you disappeared around the time I was born. I want to know why, and I want to know now."

My mom took a few steps towards us, smiling slightly. "Yeah. Lucas is definitely rubbing off on her."

No one else spoke, although everyone's attention was fixated on Shawn. It was almost as if we were waiting for an explosion. Maybe we were waiting for him to storm out of our apartment, grumbling about how he was never going to come back ever again. I didn't have a clue what we were all waiting for, but it was definitely something big. Important. Meaningful. Need I go on?

Shawn's shoulders slumped eventually, seemingly giving in. "People tend to drift from their old friends once they start a family," he said slowly, as if he was thinking over every single word he said. "It's been fourteen years, Cory, and you still act like nothing has changed between us. But the truth is, a lot has changed. So much. You have a son and a daughter, who are both growing up and becoming incredible people already. You have a family of your own now, Cory. There wasn't really any reason why I should be around very often anymore."

"Shawn-"

"You're wrong," I interrupted my dad quickly. "Of course there's still plenty of reasons for you to stick around. Mom told me about how you write for that travel website - but why not start a website of your own? It would be incredibly successful, all you would need to do is put your mind to it. You could stay here, and continue being close friends with my parents. Just because they have new people in their lives now, such as my brother and I, doesn't mean they don't still care about you and have time for you. You're a part of our family, too, and family should never be apart for too long."

Both of my parents spun around to face me, their expressions incredulous. I laughed nervously, toying with a strand of my dark brown hair. "So I've learned a few things from your classes," I said to my dad, grinning slightly.

He stared back for smiling widely. "That's my little girl!"

Even Shawn chuckled, though it quickly faded. "I guess that strange little bird of yours has a point, Cory. But ... it's weird to be around here too much. You have your family-"

"Which you're a part of," I reminded him.

"-and I don't have a family of my own. It's just me these days, no parents or anything. I don't even talk to Jack all that often anymore," he sighed quietly.

I exchanged a brief glance with my parents, smiling even wider. "Why don't you stay with us for awhile, Uncle Shawn? We have a guest bedroom, and it would be perfect for you. Maybe you can meet ... some people here, and find even more reasons to stick around." My parents were staring at me weirdly, so I awkwardly jerked my head towards Maya.

My mom raised a single eyebrow, before catching onto what I was implying. She smiled, turning to face Shawn. "I think that would be a wonderful idea, don't you, Cory?"

"Amazing idea," my dad agreed, grinning excitedly. "We can start the Cory and Shawn Show up again!"

Uncle Josh shook his head slightly, chuckling to himself. "It's times like this I wonder whether or not I should have just stayed back home for this visit. They're still like little kids."

Lucas gently grabbed onto my wrist, subtly tugging me into the kitchen and away from everyone else. "Are you really sure you want him staying here? I mean, I guess the reasoning behind his actions make some sense, but he still hurt you, Riley. You can't exactly deny that."

I smiled slightly, for once being able to think straight around him. I was already planning something quickly in my head, calculating the odds of it actually working out. "It's fine, Lucas, this is a great opportunity for us to finally get to know each other. Besides, there's a couple other people I think he should get to know, too."

"And they are ...?"

"Maya and Katy Hart," I said quietly, unable to contain the smile threatening to widen. "My dad told me once about Shawn's family life, and let's just say it wasn't the best. Neither is Maya's, and her mom has been kind of sad lately. I think that if Shawn meets them, he could fix everything right up. For all three of them."

"You're a little genius, aren't you?" Lucas asked, shaking his head to himself. "Seriously, how do you come up with these plans?"

I smiled. "I learned from my father. Anyway, I'm really sorry about what Auggie and Maya said earlier, how you being in love with me." I had absolutely no idea why I was bringing it up. I had the perfect chance to get away with acting like they never said anything, and here I was, completely wrecking it. "Auggie is still really young, and Maya was just teasing us over our friendship." Although something told me that she wasn't kidding. She seemed pretty serious.

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's fine, I don't mind. Besides, maybe they aren't exactly incorrect."

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant (if I had, my voice probably would have come out as a shriek, because my goodness, I was screaming inside) but my mom called us other, claiming that everybody was going out to dinner tonight. Lucas flashed me smirk before heading over, starting up a conversation with Josh and Farkle.

 _Holy crow_.

. . .

 **A/N: Indeed, Riley.** ** _Indeed_** **.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Quick question - do you really think that Lucas has feelings for Riley? Or is he just leading her on? Feel free to review with your opinions, it's awesome to hear what you think! And thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited! Do you think we could possibly reach 70 reviews by our next chapter? ;D (Although it's perfectly fine if we don't, just getting a couple reviews make my entire day.) Thanks for reading!**

 **(A/N: Sure, I own Girl Meets World. And an alpaca. Oh, wait. I own neither of those things.)**


	15. Chapter 15

Three weeks passed, and soon enough it was officially April. And a lot was going on.

There was an apartment for rent right above our apartment, and my parents had talked Shawn into getting it. It wasn't too difficult for them to do - Maya and Shawn had grown much closer, and he was even getting along really well with her mother, Katy. He had managed to repair their mother-daughter relationship within his first week of being here, letting Maya know that it had been her dad's choice to leave, not her mom pushing him away. It had crushed Maya, even though she would never admit it, that her dad had just left them both like they were nothing. But she seemed to be doing a little better. Spending so much time around Shawn and her mom was a great thing for her, I could tell.

There were a few complications, though. Maya and Josh were growing surprisingly close, and he was stopping by our apartment nearly every afternoon now. Josh and his parents (my grandparents) lived in the same city as us, but still somewhat fair away. It turned out Josh ended up getting himself a subway pass so he could come around even more often. Although my mom had suspected at first it was because of how much he looked up to my dad, it was beginning to be pretty obvious what the real reason was - Maya Hart. I could tell that he liked her quite a lot, despite the age difference. I couldn't tell how she felt about him yet. I used to think that she had feelings for Farkle, but I wasn't too sure anymore.

But that wasn't the only complication around here these days. The lines were starting to blur so much in my relationship with Lucas that I couldn't tell if we were friends or something more these days. There were a couple people who weren't very excited about that, besides my father, who was always glaring at whenever opportunity struck now.

No, Charlie and Missy were kind of aggravated over it, as well.

I tended to avoid Charlie whenever Lucas was around, but considering the fact that Charlie had taken Lucas's place in my dad's class, we still saw each other a lot. I still tried to use the family friend excuse, but it was beginning to sound really weak after over two weeks. I told him that I was trying to spend some more time with my Uncle Joshua, too, but even that sounded like a lie. He never pressed me, though he did often remind me that his offer was still standing and we could go out whenever if I wanted to.

And then there was the Missy thing. I barely crossed paths with her before all of this drama with Lucas, but nowadays it was as if we were always seeing each other. Maybe even more than I saw Farkle and Charlie, and that was definitely saying something. She was never exceptionally cruel to me, and if an outsider heard the way she spoke to me they would misinterpret it as friendly conversation. But I knew better, and I was smart enough to realize that the fact that all of our conversations were about Lucas, all because of her constantly bringing him up around me. Apparently they were still friends, but not as close as they were before he fixed his friendship with me.

She made sure to mention that a lot, too. I tried to ignore her, but ignoring people that were not my father was never something I had been exceptionally talented at.

Aside from that, there was always the fact that it felt like Farkle had been pushing us away. I had thought that things might be getting better with him, but for the past three days it was like he didn't want anything to with me or Maya. He even still spoke to Lucas, since apparently they had English class together, but whenever Maya and I were around he went completely mute. Unfortunately, Maya was too caught up in thinking about Joshua or whatever to do anything about it, or even notice. So it was up to me to fix everything.

Not that I disliked that, fixing everything had always been one of my favorite habits. But this was one time I had no idea where I was supposed to start.

Deciding to act on a slight adrenaline rush after another empowering history class, I jumped up and tugged Farkle back by grabbing onto his backpack. He literally cringed, his eyebrows furrowing in obviously false confusion. "What is this all about, Riley?"

I glanced at my dad, who was busy shuffling through paperwork. It seemed like he did that a lot after class, and I vaguely wondered if he only did that to look extra busy. Shrugging it off, I quickly switched my attention to Farkle. "I want to know what's going on with you. You haven't spoken to me or Maya in a few days, and I need to know what happened to cause that."

He paused for a long moment, looking over at my dad somewhat worriedly before latching onto my wrist, pulling me out of the classroom and into the nearby janitor's closet. He made sure the door was completely closed before releasing my wrist, smoothing out his shirt nervously. "Will you promise to keep it a secret?"

"You know I can't promise something like that until you tell me what it is." My head was spinning wildly, confusion getting the best of me this time. I couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with Josh and Maya's new "friendship."

He exhaled, seemingly giving in. "Yeah, okay. You know that kid in our class that likes you a lot? Charlie Gardner?"

My eyes narrowed, confusion taking over. On the long list of things I had speculated this being about, Charlie Gardner was not involved in any of them. "Of course. What's going on, Farkle?" This couldn't be a jealousy thing, could it? Farkle definitely had feelings for Maya, there was no doubt about that, and he didn't have any problems with Lucas. In fact, he was still talking to Lucas everyday, like I mentioned. So what did this mean?

He sighed again, although he sounded far more nervous this time. "He's been saying a lot of things to me lately, that's all."

"Like what?" I pressed, my confusion growing.

Farkle glanced down at the ground, suddenly very interested in the tile flooring beneath us. "He said you and Maya deserved a better friend than me. He said you two were so out of my league that it was actually amusing. He said it was no wonder Maya was spending so much time with Joshua, to the point where even you were starting to doubt that she could ever like me. He said that you said so yourself, to Lucas."

I had only spoken about that one time, and that was yesterday afternoon. Which meant that all of this was extremely recent. My pulse was hammering in my veins to the point where it hurt, my heart pounding quickly. It took me a moment to realize that I was angry. Me, Riley Matthews, the girl who believed in unicorns and rainbows and that everyone had goodness inside them, was really, really freaking mad. "Farkle," I started, unsure of what the right thing to say was. Aside from all of the anger was the guilt. Part of this had been my fault, just because I couldn't keep my thoughts to myself the day before.

The door swung open then, and Janitor Harley entered. He looked us up and down fleetingly before gesturing out the door. "I highly recommend leaving the luxury of my custodial suite to avoid missing your next class, kids."

Farkle and I both exited, keeping our heads down. I tried to catch onto him again once we were out in the halls, but I ended up only grabbing air. He was gone, nowhere in sight.

However, I noticed Charlie lingering across the hall, chatting with one of his friends. I gritted my teeth together tightly, already considering striding over to him and calling him on what he was doing, but it was too late. The warning bell rang, and he was the very first person heading to class.

I had no idea what I could do now.

. . .

"Why exactly do we have to be here?" Maya groaned in exasperation.

We were both sitting at our sacred bay window in my bedroom. The silence before her outburst had been lasted for so long that it had began to feel rather deafening. I couldn't tell her what was going on quite yet, though. There was one other person I was still waiting for.

"Be patient," I said softly, twiddling my thumbs nervously. Going against my instincts, I had finally told Lucas about my somewhat secret bay window entrance and invited him over this had taken two classes worth of contemplating before I worked up the nerve to do it, but I knew that there was no other option. Lucas needed to know what I was about to say, and I couldn't risk getting any adults involved yet. We were basically surrounded by adults, especially these days. It could get a bit suffocating, even though I knew they had our best interests at heart. My bedroom was the only adult-free zone these days, my dad too caught up in catching up with Shawn to come in very often and my mom focusing on her job more. It was perfectly safe.

My blond friend rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else. Which was kind of a miracle; I had been expecting a few sarcastic remarks to follow what I said. I glanced over at her, my hands freezing awkwardly. "Is everything okay with you, Maya?"

She nodded immediately. "Yeah, 'course. It's just ... it feels like Farkle's been avoiding me lately and I dunno why. It feels like I did something wrong, yanno? But I don't remember saying anything that could have actually insulted him."

I pressed my lips together firmly, trying to will myself not to respond. Maya seemed a little taken aback that I wasn't saying anything, but fortunately a light knock on my window saved me from having to explain myself. I reached over, practically throwing the window open. "Hey, Lucas."

"Huckleberry," Maya greeted shortly before turning to me. "What's he doing here?"

Lucas scoffed, climbing into my bedroom (somewhat reluctantly, I noticed). "It's always a pleasure to see you, too, Maya."

"Okay, you know what-?"

"Stop!" I cried, stopping the argument before it could start. They both stared at me, incredulous, but I didn't even bother to explain my sudden outburst. "There's something I have to tell you both." Their expressions softened, but neither said anything. I took that as my cue to continue. "Farkle is getting bullied."

Saying those words tasted like acid, and I realized that a part of that was guilt. Lots and lots of guilt. As irrational as it might be, I blamed myself for this nonetheless. There had to be a reason Charlie was picking on Farkle, and I could most likely guess what it was. Not only that, he had gathered some of the ammo to use against Farkle because of my conversation with Lucas.

Maya and Lucas paused for a long moment, looking at each other before glancing back at me. "What are you talking about?" Maya asked at last, blinking slowly. I could tell that I had caught her off guard, and the guilt intensified. I had always known how much she cared about Farkle, I should have eased her into this instead of spontaneously dropping it like a bomb. Even Lucas seemed to be in shock.

I swallowed hard when I decided to go on, dreading their reactions when I told them who was bullying him. "Farkle has been getting bullied for the past few days. And the person that's picking on him ... it's someone we know. That's why he's been so distant from us recently, Maya."

"Who's the person?" Lucas asked quietly, eyebrows beginning to furrow.

I bit my bottom lip hard, almost wincing from the pain. I probably shouldn't have bitten down quite so hard. "Charlie Gardner."

Maya looked towards the window for only a fleeting second before already climbing out of it, not sparing either or us a single look back. She was angry, and I knew that she was a bit of a fireball whenever she was upset. She could be undeniably reckless, and I didn't want her getting into any trouble.

I stood up, grabbing my jacket off of my bed and quickly pulling it on. "We need to catch after her and make sure she doesn't do something stupid," I told Lucas, snatching up my cell phone from my nightstand.

He nodded in agreement, standing up, as well, but gently grasping my arm. He was stopping me from climbing out the window, too. "All right. But wait, first things first, isn't that Charlie guy some friend of yours? I've heard you guys talking in the halls and stuff. Why in the world would he ever bully Farkle?"

"Charlie likes me," I blurted out. Maybe I was feeling a little reckless, too. "And since Farkle and I used to date ... well, I think you can put the puzzle pieces together. But none of that matters. We have to find Maya and keep her safe. That's what friends are for, right?"

Lucas dropped his hand from my arm, blinking slowly. Just like Maya had. "He likes you?" he echoed my words, as if repeating them would somehow cause them to make more sense. He sounded completely shocked.

A little offended, I nodded. "Since he's asked me out repeatedly, I'm guessing that he does. Lucas, what are you waiting for? Come on. Maya, remember? We need to catch up to her."

"You never mentioned any of that," he mumbled, sounding vaguely absentminded. "Do you feel the same way about him?"

I recoiled, feeling like I had been slapped. Actually, no. It would have hurt much less if I hadn't been slapped. The fact that Lucas thought I could possibly like Charlie after what he did was appalling. Not only that, it was hurtful that he thought that. Really hurtful. "Of course not," I snapped, surprising myself. "You do realize that he hurt Farkle, right? The things that he said were vile and cruel, and I don't exactly appreciate people saying those things to the people I care about."

"What about before you found out he said those things to Farkle?" he pushed.

I laughed humorlessly, although it sounded more like a breathless exhale. I couldn't believe him right now. He was being so thoughtless. "Why would that even matter right now? We need to worry about Farkle and Maya, not whether or not I had small feelings for some boy. They're our friends, Lucas, and we need to make sure they're okay."

"Just answer the question, Riley," Lucas said, sounding exasperated.

"Yes!" I admitted, my voice raising a couple octaves. It was probably a good thing that my mom was working late tonight and my dad was over at Shawn's. The last thing I needed at the moment was either of my parents catching me alone with a boy. In my bedroom. Especially since that boy was Lucas Friar. Typical bad boy, remember? "I liked him a little. I think. I don't know. What I do know is that Maya and Farkle are our responsibilities, Lucas, and we need to make sure they're okay. We have to. Can't you understand that, please?"

He stared at me for a minute, silence overtaking my room yet again. It only lasted for a brief moment, though, before he turned around, heading out the window without another word.

Somehow I knew he wasn't going after Maya.

. . .

 **A/N: This is probably my favorite chapter so far! Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews - we hit seventy! I'm practically screaming outside, and I'm definitely screeching inside. Please feel free to leave your opinions on this chapter. The most incredible feeling is seeing that someone has reviewed, and you guys are all so fantastic (and your suggestions are** ** _brilliant_** **!). Thank you guys so much.**

 **I have too many questions I want to ask you all about this chapter and your thoughts, so many it would outnumber the amount of words in the chapter itself. So, I think I'll have to skip the questions part this time. I hope you guys leave what you think, anyway! :) It's great hearing from you.**

 **(Girl Meets World. Ahh. Another thing I do not own.)**


	16. Chapter 16

I hovered outside on the fire escape for a long moment, hesitation taking over. I didn't know who I needed to go after now - Maya, Farkle, or Lucas. They all needed somebody right now, and I had always wanted to be that somebody for all three of them. But I was only one person. Meaning that I needed to choose one person to check up on.

I caught sight of a blond girl below me, pacing frantically. Her hair was messy, the wind blowing it around her face quickly, but she didn't seem to notice. She tugged on her black leather jacket, a nervous habit of hers.

Maya Penelope Hart.

My mind was made up. I needed to make sure that my best friend was all right and wasn't planning on doing anything reckless. Then we could figure out what to do about Lucas and Farkle. Together.

. . .

"Riley?" she asked softly, seeming only somewhat astounded to see me. I forced a half-smile, although I was fairly certain it resembled a grimace much better. I pulled my own jacket closer, the weather surprisingly cool for April in New York City. We didn't speak for awhile, watching the people and cars pass us.

Everyone was in a hurry. They had somewhere to be, and Maya and I were no exception to that. We both had somewhere we needed to be right now. The complication in that is that neither of us knew where exactly that was. My thoughts were wild and hectic, and I wouldn't be shocked if hers were the same way. Something was changing because of this, we could both feel it. I just wasn't sure what it was.

"I saw Ranger Rick a little bit ago," she said after awhile, speaking louder to be heard over the passing cars. "He seemed pretty mad. Did you guys get into an argument?" I figured that it was an improvement that she didn't sound excited or even hopeful. Then again, the tone of her voice was rather dull, almost as if she had no interest in talking to me. Or anybody, for that matter.

She must be taking this harder than I had anticipated. Farkle getting bullied, I mean. It was hard enough for me to thoroughly comprehend, and I didn't even feel the same way about Farkle that Maya might. I still wasn't too sure about that. But what did I know? They were her feelings, it was impossible for me to determine another person's feelings. Even if that person is my best friend. "No. He started asking me a bunch of pointless questions, and one of them was whether or not I had feelings for Charlie before everything he said to Farkle."

"What did you say?"

I shrugged awkwardly, looking down at the ground pointedly. "I said yes, Maya. But I don't see why it even matters. I definitely don't have feelings for Charlie anymore, not after what he said to Farkle. Like I told Lucas, the things he said to our friend were vile and cruel. All of those small little feelings are long gone now, and besides, Lucas and I aren't even officially a couple. I doubt he even feels the same way about me," I added quietly, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

Maya raised a single eyebrow, seemingly caught off guard. "So you do have feelings for Sundance."

I bit my bottom lip nervously before releasing it, reluctantly nodding. "I do," I confessed quietly.

"For how long, Riley?"

She was going to hate me for this. That much was inevitable, but I couldn't possibly bring myself to lie to her. The truth was going to come out eventually, right? "Since the day I met him on the subway. When I fell into his lap." My cheeks blazed from my confession and I pressed my lips together tightly, resisting the urge to risk a glimpse at my best friend and check out her expression. I didn't want to see the disappointment quite yet.

"I figured as much," she replied, shrugging simply. I jerked my head up in surprise, and something in my expression must have amused her because she laughed quietly. It faded almost right away, though. "I'm your best friend, Riley. And besides, you were pretty obvious. Even your dad caught on, that's part of why he asked you to stay away from Lucas."

I sighed, deciding right then and there to avert the subject away from my cliche feelings. "Okay. But what do we do now? I have absolutely no clue where Lucas went, and I sincerely doubt Farkle is home. He's smart, he knows that would be the first place we would go to find him. And he has to know we want to talk to him after what he told me earlier today."

She pursed her lips, apparently thinking something over. After a moment she pulled out her smartphone, a gift from Shawn. He gave it to her last week, and I swear, I had never seen her smile so wide. "I'll text Farkle and ask him if he wants to hang out. Maybe if I act like I don't know anything, he'll assume you kept it between yourself and Ranger Roy."

"Why would he automatically assume I would tell Lucas?"

"Because you tell the cowboy everything, Riles. Honestly, I'm starting to think that you guys are the real best friends now." Realizing what she had just said, she forced a half-hearted laugh, already typing quickly. She caught on fast; She was already one of the quickest typers in our entire grade.

I shook my head slowly. "Maya. Lucas and I are pretty close, of course, but you're my best friend. You always have been, and I'm really hoping that you always will be."

She hesitated before looking up, cracking a small smile. "Thanks, Riles. Now, since I know you're going to ask, what about Huckleberry? I doubt he's going to answer to any texts that you send him, and we don't exactly have the greatest friendship, so I'm guessing the same goes for me."

Eyebrows furrowing, I shook my head slightly. "I don't know. I don't even know why he left like that, Maya. We're supposed to be friends, and just friends. I don't see why it would matter so much if I used to have feelings for some guy he barely knows."

Maya bit her bottom lip hard, quickly focusing on her cell phone again. "Riles, isn't it obvious? Even Auggie pointed it out a couple times, and he's only this many," she reminded me, holding up all five fingers with her other hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered softly.

"Riley. Need I remind you of what Auggie said, and I agreed with, when Hopalong was sticking up for you to Shawn? Auggie, your five year old little brother, said that he thought Lucas was in love with you. And it's pretty easy to guess that wasn't the first time he had said anything like that, considering the expression on your parents faces."

I felt my eyes widen at her implication. "Maya, are you thinking straight right now? There's positively no way that Lucas is in love with me. We're only eighth graders, for crying out loud!"

Maya smirked widely, switching her phone off. "Didn't your parents tell each other "I love you" for the first time when they were only fourteen or whatever? That was one of their endless stories, I remember that much. You're fourteen years old, Riley, and isn't Lucas fifteen, pushing sixteen? He got held back in his old school, right? He said something about that when he was telling us everything a few weeks ago."

I stayed silent. She had me there, that much was painfully obvious. After awhile I shook my head again, glancing over at her. "We should be focusing on Farkle, not me and Lucas."

"Sure, sure. Great job, changing the subject there, Riles. Or wait, are you only going by 'sunshine' now? That's all Lucas ever seems to call you, at least."

Drastic times call for drastic measures, right? That's what everybody seems to say, at least. "Maya, are you really obsessing over my friendship with Lucas right now, when Farkle is getting bullied?"

She grew serious then, eyes narrowing. "What did Gardner say to Farkle, anyway? You said that they were vile and cruel, but you never went into any detail about what exactly those vile and cruel things were."

"Charlie ... he said a lot of really mean things. But it isn't my place to tell you what they were, it's Farkle's. Some of the things he was using against Farkle are extremely personal, and I would be just as bad as Charlie if I told you what they were. Because telling you would be cruel and mean, too."

She seemed offended that Farkle had chosen to tell me something really personal without telling her first. They must have grown closer than I had previously suspected. "Oh," she murmured after awhile. Crossing her arms, she bit down hard on her lower lip again. I hoped she wasn't hurting herself. "I need to go find Farkle. Are you coming or not?"

As horrible as it made me feel, I shook my head. "Not quite yet. Besides, if he's ever going to come clean to you about what Charlie was using against him, well, it would be easier if I wasn't there, too. That's all."

"And you need to go find your cowboy, right?" The way she said it wasn't malicious or sarcastic. In fact, she sounded kind of understanding. This situation with Farkle and Charlie must have really changed her perspective on certain things.

I hesitantly nodded. "I do. There's a couple things I need to talk to him about."

She cracked another small smile. "I get it. Good luck, Riles. Maybe I could crash at your place tonight?"

I grinned instinctively. "That would be amazing."

. . .

Lucas had given me his address a long time ago, but I had never worked up the courage to go to his house. Not only that, I had been slightly terrified of my dad finding out, especially if I went by myself, and shipping Lucas off to El Paso, Texas. Since of course, it was very close to Mexico.

But right now I had worries that were bigger than fear of my father's reaction to this. I stumbled up the stairs before knocking. I noticed right away that my hands were shaking, which made me even more nervous than before. I wasn't even sure what I was planning on saying to him, let alone if he was even home right now. Nonetheless, I couldn't bring myself to turn back so soon. After all, I had just arrived.

Needless to say, I almost fell off the porch when he pulled the door open. We stared at each other for a long while, neither of us daring to speak before I forced myself to stand up straighter. I was here for a reason. The only issue at the moment was that I had no idea what exactly that reason was.

He smoothed out his black shirt after a few seconds, a nervous habit I'm guessing he picked up from Farkle. "What are you doing here, Riley?"

So much for him only calling me by that little nickname. Sunshine. "It's great to see you, too, Lucas," I muttered sarcastically before speaking somewhat louder. "Can I please come in?"

He hesitated before stepping back, making room for me to enter. I walked inside, making sure to link my hands together tightly to keep him from seeing that they were shaking. There was no reason he should know how nervous I was feeling right now. That would only make this even more awkward.

"Maya isn't with you?"

I shook my head. "No, she's probably talking to Farkle by now."

"Listen, if you're here to scold me for not going after her or whatev-"

"I'm not," I interrupted quickly. "I'm here because there's a few things that I honestly need to ask you about, and then I promise to get out of your hair. That's fair enough, don't you think?"

He paused thoughtfully before shrugging. "Yeah, okay. So what are the things you need to ask me about, Riley? Because I have a lot of homework, and I don't want to give your father even more reasons to hate me. Because God knows, all those teachers ever do is gossip about their students."

"Why did you get so upset when you found out I used to have feelings for Charlie?" I blurted suddenly. The second the words were out of my mouth I wanted to frantically stuff them back in. The urge to act like this had never happened was already so strong it almost knocked the breath out of me.

The reminder that I used to like Charlie seemed to annoy him, and he crossed his arms defensively. "Isn't it obvious?"

He was the second person to ask me that today, and I was getting tired of it. "No, actually, it is not. Don't you think that if it were obvious I wouldn't have come all the way out here just to ask you why you got so upset over it? You're sending me mixed signals constantly, Lucas. One day you make it seem like you might possibly like me, then the next you treat me the same way you treat Maya and Farkle, and then there are the days like today where you're totally confusing and I can't even guess how you might feel. Maya thinks you like me, but I know better. I know you don't." My voice sounded smaller now, and I tried to work up the courage to get it back to normal. "But I need to hear directly from you why you acted that way earlier. I need to know why it matters to you, or if it even matters to you, Lucas."

"How have you not put the pieces together yet, Riley?!"

"Because you're confusing! Really, really confusing!" I yelled back, my voice cracking on the last word. I had never hated having feelings for him more than I did this very moment.

He laughed humorlessly. "It's because Maya's right! She's right, Auggie's right, everyone is right!"

 _Confusion_. I had never felt it more than I did right now. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm in love with you, Riley!"

. . .

 **A/N: I swear, I've been waiting to write this chapter since I wrote the very first chapter. Okay, guys, no questions this time, either - go ahead, tell me what you think in general. I'm really looking forward to reading your reactions! ;D Thank you guys so much for all your reviews on the last chapter, you're all very amazing!**

 **(Also, RUCAS FOREVER (Guest) - You're extremely funny! I read your reviews and burst out laughing. The only awkward part is that I was having a serious chat with my mom. Oh, well. Stay awesome, and thank you for reviewing!)**

 **Girl Meets World - don't own it. Until next time, people! c:**


	17. Chapter 17

_I didn't love him._

I hated how that was the first thing that came to mind after his declaration. It was almost ironic, in a cruel, unfortunate way. Swallowing hard, I glanced down at the floor. It felt like my heart was about to jump right out of my chest, it was beating so fast. Both of us stayed completely silent, focusing on anything that wasn't each other.

I liked him. I knew that much, it was astoundingly obvious. Not just to me, but even Maya, Farkle, and Joshua had caught on. In fact, I was fairly certain even my parents had caught on, and Auggie certainly had. But it wasn't love. I was too young for love, hadn't I said something similar to that to Maya earlier?

Honestly, I couldn't remember. It was like I wasn't even thinking straight right now.

The sounds of banging pulled me out of my awkward daze, causing me to snap my head up. Lucas spun around, his eyebrows furrowing immediately. Right behind him, holding a bottle of something I couldn't quite recognize, was a man much older than either of us.

He looked to be in his late thirties, maybe even early forties. He was gripping the glass bottle like it was his one and only lifesaver, and there was no other reason to exist. The man looked between us both for a long moment, his eyes glazed over. Almost as if he wasn't really seeing us at all. After a moment he seemed to regain at least some of his thoughts, scoffing. "How many times do I gotta tell ya, boy? Love is for losers, people who are weak. This little girl here, bet you she doesn't even care about you. That's some advice from my experience with women." His words were slurring, but only slightly.

It took me that long to realize that he was drunk. And the bottle he was grasping so tightly was beer.

Neither of my parents ever drank beer, or any kind of alcohol. In fact, I sincerely doubted that anyone in my family drank. If anybody did, they had it under control. It definitely could never be anything like this. It was like Lucas's father didn't seem to care about anything but the bottle she was gripping, staring at longingly. He barely even glanced at his own son again.

"Are you Lucas's father?" I asked tentatively, struggling to keep my tone mildly polite.

The man shrugged, begrudgingly looking away from his bottle. "That's what it says on the boy's birth certificate, yeah. And who are ya? You look like some kinda city girl, livin' in a big penthouse with your doting parents. Am I right?"

I shook my head right away, biting my bottom lip roughly to keep from saying anything I might regret in the future. "No, sir, you aren't. Although my parents are both very loving and kind, we certainly don't live in a penthouse. Just a little apartment." I hated when people assumed things, and this was certainly no exception.

The man grunted, seeming disinterested. "Whatever, girl. Whaddaya doing in my house? I worked hard to afford this place, I'm not a fan of some city girl bargin' in and ruining my perfectly good afternoon."

My face fell, but I quickly plastered on a fake smile. "Of course, I'm very sorry. I was just stopping by to see if my friend was all right. I can leave, if you'd like."

Lucas's father chuckled darkly. "See that? That, my boy, is a perfect example of what I've been tryna drill into that thick skull of yours these past few years. Ya love someone, you're only gonna end up heartbroken. That girl there don't like ya at all, let alone love you."

Lucas stayed silent, leaning against the wall silently. I stepped towards him, reflexively reaching out to grab his hand, but he flinched away from me. He was completely expression, his eyes just as vacant and emotionless as they were the day I first met him.

"You need to leave, Riley," he said bleakly. His voice sounded even duller than Maya's had been when I talked to her earlier.

Pain. It was like a punch in the gut, hearing him say that. My eyes were stinging and it felt as though there was something lodged in the back of my throat. There were so many things I wanted to say to him. I wanted to tell him that I liked him, and that I knew it could grow into something more someday if we were both patient enough. But my the ache in my throat was getting more painful, and my fight or flight instincts were beginning to kick in. I couldn't let him see me cry. Not now, not ever.

"Lucas," I said quietly, my voice cracking. It was the only word I could manage to get out. The one word that had more meaning to me than I could ever describe, more than I imagined was possible.

"Leave, Riley," he said, sounding irritated now. I pressed my lips together tightly, nodding once before spinning around, stumbling out the door and slamming it behind me. (That had been an accident, of course. I had never been a fan of loud noises.)

I managed to make it down the stairs before the tears started flowing.

. . .

"Maya, where are you?" She had barely answered the phone before I spoke. My voice was shaking, but at least I didn't sound as bad as I did earlier. My voice didn't break, my eyes, though still stinging painfully, were completely dry.

The ache in my chest, however, was just as awful as it had been when I stumbled out of the Friar house. Maybe even worse, because now everything was finally sinking in.

Lucas's father was an alcoholic. As much as I wanted to find some way to keep that from being true, I couldn't. It explained everything, how he was always wary when it came to talking about his family.

Nonetheless, there were still a few things that made no sense to me. Didn't Lucas say that his dad stayed back in Texas, and he came out here with his mother? He had only mentioned it once, almost in passing, but I clearly recalled him saying that. So what in the world possibly changed these past few months?

There was a brief pause before my best friend spoke. "Farkle's," she said at last. "Riles, what's wrong? You don't sound like yourself. Did something happen with Lucas? Did he do or say anything to hurt you? Because I swear to God, if he did, I'm hunting the cowboy down and making him regret the day he was born."

"I think he already does," I said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear me. It stung how she assumed the worst about my encounter with Lucas, but I couldn't exactly blame her. I had already been through a lot with him, but now I was starting to see everything a little differently. Had this been part of why he was so secretive about his past? "He didn't do anything to hurt me." Not the complete truth, the crushing feeling in my chest was enough proof that he had hurt me. But I couldn't risk telling Maya what happened, and her actually hunting Lucas down and getting herself in trouble.

"Then why do you sound so upset?"

Apparently I was worse at hiding my feelings than I previously thought. "It might be easier for me to tell you everything if we could talk in person."

"On it. Is it all right if I bring Farkle along? We're kind of ... bonding."

I couldn't even bring myself to try to understand what she might be implying. Instead I nodded weakly, then, remembering that she couldn't see me, tried to think of something to say. "Okay," I whispered at last.

"We're on our way," she paused hesitantly. "So I better get going. Love you, Riles."

Trying to swallow down the lump in my throat, I forced a breathless laugh. "Okay. Love you, too."

The line went dead.

. . .

 **A/N: Did anyone see that coming?** ** _I_** **didn't even see that coming. But anyway, tell me your thoughts - especially on Lucas's father. Do you dislike him, or can you understand where he's coming from? Do you think there's more depth to his story? I absolutely love hearing what you guys think, so please don't hesitate to leave your thoughts! :D**

 **(Girl Meets World, mhm, don't own it. Just excited about the new episode later tonight.)**


	18. Chapter 18

It all came pouring out the second Maya and Farkle stumbled through my window. They had barely situated themselves before I started talking. Everything Lucas had said to me, everything I had seen, including the way his father acted and how I didn't understand why he was out here when Lucas had told me he was living with his mom, all of it. I'm sure a good majority of my words sounded like total gibberish, my voice shaking and occasionally cracking. Nonetheless, it felt surprisingly refreshing to get it all off my chest. I almost felt like I could breathe again.

Farkle and Maya both just kind of stared at me once I was finally finished, neither of them daring to speak. I would like to blame it on shock over Lucas and his father, but I knew it was something else entirely. Lucas had told me that he was in love with me. That was a big deal, and even though it would be easier to assume that he was exaggerating to make a point, but I knew that I couldn't do that. He had sounded too serious. Besides, it's slightly different to exaggerate when you're basically yelling very loudly.

Lucas Friar was in love with me.

My heartbeat quickened over the thought, and I managed a short, breathless laugh. My two friends looked at me like I was out of my mind, and maybe I was. Despite everything that had happened today, my heart was still pounding fiercely in my chest. I was still alive and kicking, and right now I had the option to decide how my life was going to play out. I was in this for the long game, after all, and it was currently my turn. Lucas had made his move. Now I had to.

"Riles?" Maya asked warily, tentatively reaching out to squeeze my hand. I squeezed back gently, a smile lighting up my features. Lucas loved me. That made me so much happier than was probably healthy, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it. The only regret I had was leaving when he pushed me away.

If there was one thing I had learned from being friends with Maya Hart is that people typically push you away when they needed you the most. I would accuse myself of being selfish for thinking this, maybe even ignorant, if it wasn't for his confession earlier.

Lucas loved me.

No matter how many times I thought it, no matter how I worded it, it still sounded perfect. In fact, it sounded right.

"Riley, are you feeling all right?" Farkle asked hesitantly, glancing over at Maya and I.

I nodded quickly, gently pulling my hand away from my best friend's and glancing out the window. I hesitated for only a split second before climbing outside. Gripping onto the fire escape to keep my balance, I risked a glimpse at Maya and Farkle. Their expressions were as incredulous as I expected them to be, but I wasn't bothered whatsoever.

"I need some air."

I was already second guessing my original plan - going back to Lucas's house and confronting him, possibly telling him that even though I didn't love him quite yet, I liked him. A lot. He was the first boy to ever make me feel this way, and he deserved to know how I felt about him. Especially if what he said was true, and he actually did love me.

But I needed to think about this for awhile. Taking a few deep breaths outside couldn't possibly hurt.

. . .

"Maya, I'm scared," I admitted. The fear in my voice was evident, and I could tell that she was close to cracking up. She managed to resist the apparent urge to do so, though, pressing her lips together tightly. I skidded to an abrupt halt the second we reached my dad's classroom. We both hovered in the doorway, and I knew that all eyes were on us, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I had bigger worries at the moment.

She heaved a silent sigh, nudging me inside. "Tell Ranger Rick you love-"

"Like."

"-like him, whatever, live happily ever after and invite me to your wedding in a few years. It's as simple as that, peaches," she said matter-of-factly. I grimaced at her before plopping down in my seat, tapping my fingers against the desk nervously. At least Lucas had transferred out of my father's class, it gave me more time to work up the nerve to speak to him. I couldn't risk coming off as a stuttering fool, this was far too important.

Maya lingered in the doorway, seemingly waiting for someone. Sure enough, Farkle strode into the classroom a few seconds later, doing a slight double take when he saw Maya waiting there for him. He flashed her a half-smile, holding his hand out hesitantly. She took it faster than I thought was possible, intertwining their fingers and leaning over, gently kissing his cheek.

So apparently that was what she had meant by "bonding." Resisting the urge to squeal like a total maniac, I settled for flashing them both a wide smile. I knew it was only a matter of time before they finally got together, and I was more than ecstatic that now was the time.

They smiled back slightly as Maya led him to his seat, only letting go of his hand once they were both sitting down. I tore my gaze away from them at the perfect time to see Charlie hesitating in the doorway, biting his bottom lip harshly.

I suddenly understood what people meant when they said that their blood was boiling. I tightly gripped my desk to keep from standing up and doing anything idiotic or even reckless. With all the drama with Lucas, it had almost completely slipped my mind.

Charlie bullying Farkle, that is.

Not anymore, though. Raising my eyebrows delicately, I kept my eyes pointedly locked on Charlie. "What are you doing here, Charlie?" I asked him, keeping my tone emotionless. I actually succeeded, too, none of the betrayal or anger I was feeling seeped into the words I spoke. Maybe Lucas was rubbing off on me even more than I thought.

"Mr. Gardner, I heard that you were moving back to California with your parents," my dad said, his confusion obvious. It wasn't until then that I realized he had no idea what had happened with Farkle and Charlie. I pursed my lips, stubbornly crossing my arms while I stared Charlie down.

"You're leaving?" Maya asked hopefully. There were a few snickers and giggles throughout the classroom, but neither of us paid them any attention.

He nodded reluctantly. "I am. But I wanted to tell Riley goodbye first."

"Bye," I said flatly.

Charlie literally flinched back, the hurt obvious in his eyes. Despite what he had done to my friend, I disliked the idea of hurting him. I hated hurting anyone, but it seemed like it was all I was doing these days. How ironic.

My father cleared his throat, causing me to focus on him instead. "By the way, Riley, a certain someone has transferred back to our class. I believe you can guess who it is on your own, though."

"Lucas?" I asked almost before he was finished speaking, my eagerness showing. I didn't feel any shame or embarrassment, though, even as more people giggled and snickered.

Charlie sighed quietly, looking down at the ground. "Of course, the cowboy always gets the girl," he muttered under his breath before speaking up. "Riley, I want you to know that I really do regret the way I treated Farkle. I should have known better than to think that was the correct way to get you to reciprocate my feelings."

"Actually, Charlie, I did return your feelings. A little bit. Up until you hurt one of my closest friends, of course," I added quickly, raising my eyebrows. His shoulders slumped and he opened his mouth quickly, just about to say something, but he was cut off before he could even speak.

"Yeah, we've heard."

I spun around in my seat, nearly knocking into the desk behind me. Lucas's desk. It was pretty amazing to think that again. "Lucas, you're here."

"No duh," he mumbled, his face still expressionless, his eyes still totally vacant. He sat down in his old seat behind me, not even bothering to look me in the eye anymore. I felt my heart drop but tried to remain optimistic, forcing a soft laugh. He stayed just a stoic as he had been before, slowly pulling his history textbook out of his backpack. He still wouldn't meet my eager eyes.

Charlie cleared his throat, and I hesitantly turned back around so I was facing him again. He smiled sadly, feigning a salute. "Goodbye, Riley Matthews," he said quietly, just loud enough for me to hear him, before walking out of the classroom. He didn't bother to look back at any of us.

I didn't feel sorry for him at all. Although I understood there must have been something to turn him into this kind of person, I couldn't bring myself to feel the slightest bit sympathetic. No matter what, the things he did and said to Farkle were wrong and cruel. He didn't even bother to apologize to him. I could never forgive him for this.

My dad started droning on and on about some kind of historical event, but I didn't pay very much attention to him. I knew I was definitely going to regret that later, whenever the inevitable pop quiz came up, but that wasn't my main focus right now.

No, my main focus was the boy sitting right behind me, treating me like a total stranger.

Even though we weren't strangers at all. For a long time we had been close friends, maybe even best friends. That's what Maya had thought, at least, she told me so herself. Lucas and I weren't strangers at all.

I just needed to remind him of that.

. . .

Class passed in a blur, and I grabbed onto his jacket when we were exiting the classroom. He spun around faster than I had anticipated, and I couldn't hide the shock I was feeling. He stared at me blankly, almost as if I was completely invisible. Almost as if he was looking at bland, boring wall instead of one of his closest friends.

"Lucas, we need to talk," I blurted out before I could lose the nerve. He shook his head, literally yanking away from me and smoothing out his black leather jacket. He still didn't say anything to me, running his hands through his already messy dirty blond hair.

I swallowed hard. Stupid, stupid butterflies bouncing around in my stomach. They weren't doing anything to help me out in this situation at all. "Honestly, we can't act like yesterday never even happened. Because it did, Lucas, it happened. The things you said, and your father-"

"He's not my father, Riley," he snapped. I recoiled, the pressing feeling in my chest returning, but he didn't seem to notice. Or care. "Only legally and biologically and all that crap," he said again, his tone even more forceful than it had been before.

"Lucas-"

"No, don't start spewing any of your typical sympathy crap, Riley. I don't want to hear it. So, my dad's a drunk who cares more about his stupid bottle of beer than his son, or anyone else in the world. What, did you think my parents divorce was something they decided together on a random day? Because if so, Riley, you're dead wrong. My mom had wanted out of the marriage the second she saw who he really was. He never loved her, anyway, I doubt he even knows how to love."

My eyebrows furrowed together tightly. Despite the kind of person that Lucas's father seemed to be, I didn't think not knowing how to love was humanly possible. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he spat, his tone even more venomous now. Well, this had to be an improvement from totally emotionless, right? "My dad's awful, Riley, I don't want you coming around anymore. Do you understand that much? Not only that, whatever idiotic little 'friendship' we had needs to disappear. Like it never happened. It's the best thing in the long run."

My lips parted slightly, shock taking over. My knees were wobbly and felt weak, almost as if I was going to fall at any moment. "... What?" I somehow managed to choke out, my voice sounding just as shaky as I felt. "No, Lucas, what about what you told me? I thought-"

"You thought wrong," he deadpanned. "Stay away from me Riley, okay? I'm not good for you, and we need to keep distance from each other. I don't even want to see you outside of your father's stupid class, all right?"

It felt like my stomach was in knots, like I was going to be sick. A paralyzing fear coursed through me, and the pressing feeling on my chest had made its anticipated return. There were no right words to describe how I was feeling, or how much I was feeling. It felt like I was feeling a million different things at once, each more negative than the last one. "You said you loved me," I mumbled at last, tearing my gaze away from him and focusing intently on the floor. It was hard enough to think straight without having to look into his green eyes, the shade turning darker by the second.

"Love is a waste of time, Matthews. You might as well accept that while you're ahead," he muttered darkly before turning around again, the first warning bell ringing at a deafening volume.

My head was spinning, heck, the whole world was spinning. I blinked slowly, trying to organize my muddled thoughts without much success. The second bell rang, startling me this time as kids hurried off to their classes. Swallowing hard, I swung my backpack over my shoulder again, trying to convince myself that everything was okay. I was trying my hardest to convince myself that there was no lump in my throat, my eyes definitely were not stinging painfully, and it didn't feel like something was weighing down my entire being, making it harder and harder to put one foot in front of the other as I walked to class.

The key word there is "trying." I was failing. Miserably.

. . .

 **A/N: Ahh. Faya is real, Rucas is falling to pieces ... where exactly am I going with this? I actually have a few things planned, a total shocker since I basically just wing it. I guess you could call that a "free-write," if you want to sound all professional. I, however, do not.**

 **Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews! We currently have 93 reviews! AHHHHH! Okay, my little freak-out moment is pretty much done. I love hearing what everybody thinks, you guys are all so smart and sweet! Thank you so much for reading my story. I'm probably asking a lot, but do you think it would be possible for us to reach one hundred reviews by the next chapter? It's perfectly fine if not, just hearing from a couple of you guys is incredible! Thank you again.**

 **(Don't own Girl Meets World, Faya and Rucas would be canon by now if I did, darlings.)**


	19. Chapter 19

Farkle and Maya suggested that I give Lucas a little space. They said that he was probably hesitant of spending too much time with me after I ran into his father. Maya even thought that maybe he was afraid of me leaving him, since people typically didn't stick around with kids who had alcoholic parents. Maybe he was afraid of everything being too much for me, innocent and playful little Riley Matthews.

I didn't feel like Riley Matthews very much these days, though. I felt more disoriented, getting lost in thought more easily than usual. It was difficult to spend too much time around Maya and Farkle these days, both of them being too caught up in their feelings for each other to think of much else. I never would have pictured Maya Hart as the type of person to get caught up in that, but then again, it was most likely just the so-called "honeymoon phase." Didn't every serious couple go through one of those at the beginning? I bet even my mom and dad did.

Maya and Farkle weren't even the sickening type of couple. Neither were huge fans of PDA, mostly it was just pecks on the cheek and brief, chaste kisses between classes. Hand holding every blue moon, that type of thing. But it still felt like their relationship was carving its own hole in my chest, punching through every bit of innocence surrounding my heart, making it hard to breathe.

It wasn't because I was jealous that Maya and Farkle were dating each other. It was because I wanted that, I wanted a relationship similar to theirs more than I imagined was possible. The worst feeling of all was the realization that I could have had that if I hadn't allowed Lucas to push me away.

The other horrible part was that it wasn't like Farkle and Maya's cutesy relationship was the only hole in my chest. There was one other, even bigger than that one, growing larger every day. It burned around the edges, keeping my lungs from inhaling air. It felt like that, at least. This one had been present ever since my encounter with Lucas outside of my dad's classroom that morning.

It was weird, realizing that it was only two weeks ago. It felt like it had occurred a thousand years ago, but then again, I was a teenager. I had the habit of being fairly dramatic.

It was May now, and everyone was chattering about graduation. This was our final years of middle school, and we would all be starting our freshman year of high school in August. As much as I wanted to engage in everyone's happy conversation about their excitement for summer, I couldn't find any will to. It all seemed rather pointless now, but then again, almost everything did. It felt like I had absolutely no motivation to do anything, like there was no reason to even go to school.

As you can see, this situation with Lucas had impacted me more than I was willing to let anyone know. There was nothing they could do to help me, anyway. This was my problem and I was the person who had to fix it all up. And hopefully push away the crushing feeling in my chest in the process.

There was one thing I didn't quite understand, though.

This hurt too much, so much more than any of my other issues with Lucas had, more than all of my arguments with Maya and my parents hurt, combined. This was the worst pain I had ever experienced, the type of pain that was keeping me up at night. Most of the time, I was lucky to doze off before one in the morning. Needless to say, I was running out of makeup to cover up the purple circles under my eyes these days. But I still couldn't let anyone know what I was going through. I needed to figure it out by myself first.

That's how I found myself sitting at my desk, staring blankly at my laptop as I waited for it to load results for what I had been searching for. It was only eight o'clock at night now, meaning I still had a few hours ahead of me, so I wasn't very tired. I tapped my fingers against my desk impatiently, trying to resist the urge to throw my computer out the window. It had been pretty easy to irritate me recently, and this was no exception to that.

Finally it loaded, and I felt my stomach churn nervously as I reread what I had originally typed in.

"How do you know when you're in love?" I read aloud, my voice barely above a feeble whisper.

Did I even need some random websites to tell me what I was already afraid of admitting to myself? Deep down, I had always known this, hadn't I? Even when Lucas blurted out that he was in love with me and I had thought my feelings were different. That was what I supposed you could call a defensive thought. I was trying to protect myself from getting hurt, something I'm guessing I had picked up from Maya.

Despite my parents amazing relationship, I was afraid of falling in love. I knew all about it from the things my mom and dad said to each other, love was incredible and exhilarating and undeniably beautiful.

Sometimes. I had also heard the stories from Maya's mother, Katy. About how, the second you fall in love with someone, you unknowingly give them the power to hurt you. No exceptions. Suddenly you're vulnerable because dear Lord, they can determine whether you were happy or sad with just a few words.

I didn't know if any of that was even true. I did know, however, that love could make you blind. Any kind of love, not just the romantic kind. Family, friendly, you name it. If you love somebody, they have the power to break you into a million pieces. The horrifying part of actually falling in love is that apparently it hurts even worse.

It turned out that they were right about that part. This pain felt like a thousand tiny knives stabbing me all over, making it hard to breathe, talk, anything. He didn't want me around anymore, he didn't want us to be friends or anything more.

What if he didn't even love me at all? What if it was something he had said out of nowhere and instantly regretted? Maybe that was why he was pushing me away like this. He didn't think it would be fair to continue leading me on, so he might as well ditch me before I was in too deep. It was the reasonable, responsible thing to do.

Except I was already in too deep. It just took me awhile to realize it.

I inhaled sharply, tightly gripping my desk with both my hands. My laptop screen glared at me, its brightness blinding me in my dark bedroom. I closed my eyes quickly, trying to steady my shaky breathing. This wasn't possible. I was fourteen years old, for crying out loud! How in the world could I already be in love? Not only that, how was it possible that I was already in this deep? He had come into my life in January, and it was currently May. That was only a few months. This couldn't be happening.

There was no way I was going to sleep tonight without getting some answers. I reluctantly opened my eyes, reading the time on my laptop. It was only 8:12, but my curfew was still 7:30. Then again, I was feeling pretty reckless tonight. I stood up, spinning around so I was facing my bay window. It would be so easy to just climb right out. A long time ago Maya had taught me how to make it look like I was sleeping in my bed by stuffing a few pillows under the covers, just in case I ever wanted to be more like her.

Stumbling over to my bed, I snatched up all my pillows and stuffed them under my heavy blanket. It wasn't as perfect as hers had been, but I didn't care right now. It didn't matter to me that this was the riskiest thing I had ever done, even above randomly deciding to ditch school that day.

It didn't matter to me at all, though. Tugging my jacket on quickly, I headed outside the window, silently closing it behind me just in case my parents did come in to check on me. I wouldn't want to give them any reason to feel suspicious and make sure it was really me under there. Even though I couldn't possibly care less right now, I knew it would matter to me later. Especially if I ended up getting caught.

. . .

It was pitch dark outside when I finally reached the Friar house. Even the streetlights weren't on, giving the street an aura of mystery. I wasn't even afraid, the only thing I could feel was the same agony that I had been feeling almost nonstop these past couple weeks. I needed to fix this before I started to break into a billion pieces, which meant confronting Lucas and getting answers.

I pulled my phone out of the pocket in my jacket, switching it on only to check the time. Even if it meant getting answers at 8:41 at night, I thought to myself, turning my phone off and dropping it back into my pocket.

Not even hesitating, I climbed the stairs and rang the doorbell. Rocking back and forth on the heels of my feet, I impatiently waited for either Lucas or his dad to answer the door. The embarrassing truth was that if his father answered, I would probably just push right past him and walk in like I owned the place. I blamed the recklessness.

Fortunately, it was Lucas who answered the door. Needless to say, he seemed caught off guard to see me standing awkwardly on his porch. "Riley, what are you doing here? I thought I told you-"

"I know what you told me," I mumbled. For the first time in ... well, a really long time, I was scared. The next few minutes were probably going to determine whether or not there was any chance of fixing things with Lucas. That was absolutely terrifying to realize. "Can I come in, please?"

He paused, before reluctantly nodding. I breathed a silent sigh of relief, clumsily stumbling inside, nearly knocking into him once. Nervousness was beginning to take over, but at least it numbed the pain.

But who says it was the nerves that were numbing my pain? I was with Lucas. He was my sunshine, making me feel better without even trying.

"Riley, what are you doing here?" he repeated, his voice stronger this time as he quietly shut the door. He kept his eyes locked on me, and it felt like a hundred different emotions crashing down on me at once. One of them stood out among the others, though.

Love.

I loved him. I loved Lucas.

It was the first time I had allowed myself to actually think the words so straightforward like that, and it nearly knocked the breath out of me. I leaned against the wall, taking a subtle deep breath. Too many things were happening already, it was hard to keep up with. "I had to talk to you." I hated how desperate my voice sounded, although it was pretty accurate to how I was feeling at the moment. I was, admittedly, desperate for answers. Even if they weren't the answers I was looking for.

"Haven't you ever heard of a cell phone?" he asked harshly.

So he wasn't really happy to see me. Well, that can't be a good sign.

I nodded, biting my bottom lip for a second. "Yes," I said after awhile. "I have. But I figured this type of conversation would be better face to face."

He exhaled, crossing his arms. Another bad sign. "Couldn't this wait until tomorrow, then, Riley? Besides, do your parents even know you're here?"

I shook my head. "No," I answered both his questions in a deadpan. "Lucas, we can't just act like none of this ever happened. You're still a huge part of my life"-bigger than I'd like to admit-"and I still care about you." More than I'd like to admit. "Lucas Friar, you told me that you're in lo-"

"Stop," he interrupted, his eyes narrowing. That was the third bad sign. Three strikes, I'm out. This was a stupid idea, coming here.

But maybe not. I still needed answers, and I'd be damned if I was going to wait another minute to find out what was going on. I deserved better than that. "No, I don't think I will. You said you're in love with me," I hissed, my words coming out quicker than usual so he couldn't cut me off again. "Why are you acting like it never happened? This is a big deal, Lucas, can't you see that? This is the biggest deal of all, neither of us should keep prancing around, acting like you never said it. This affects us both, Lucas."

"Love is a waste of time, Riley," he murmured in a slight monotone.

"You're saying that because of your father. I know you are," I said softly, reaching out for him again. But like he did that afternoon, he literally flinched away from me, taking a couple steps back to put more distance between us. The apparent rejection stung, but I made sure to remain impassive. Maya and Lucas really had been rubbing off on me.

"He isn't my-"

"What would you like me to call him, Lucas? Because I can't think of anything that isn't explicit, and I don't feel like turning into that kind of person. Maybe I'm just selfish that way, though," I said sarcastically.

Lucas chuckled blackly. "You could never be selfish, Riley."

"There you go, sending me all those mixed signals again. Lucas, I'm sorry but I'm not leaving, or leaving you alone, until we can talk about what you said. I'm tired of not getting any sleep at night because of this mess, it's about time we sorted everything out. If you ... if you didn't mean it, fine, I can respect that. We can move forward. But nothing is going to move forward until we address it, like the mature people we both are." I was proud of myself, really. My voice wasn't shaking at all.

My knees, however ... that was a totally different story. A story that didn't matter when I had more important things to focus on.

He heaved a sigh, glancing down at the floor. The carpeting was dark blue, almost black, and I vaguely wondered whether Lucas had picked the color out. My curiosity over the unimportant matter quickly fizzled out the second he spoke up. "I meant what I said, Riley. Everything. Including the parts where I said I wasn't good for you, because I'm definitely bad for you, Matthews. Always have been, always will be."

"You're wrong," I spoke quietly, afraid of raising my voice and sounding like a maniac. He had meant everything he said, which included what he had blurted out that afternoon. A good majority of the hole in my chest patched itself up, although the edges were still burning. Whether or not this could be fixed was still in question.

"I'm right."

"No, you're not," I disagreed stubbornly. "Besides, shouldn't I be the one who gets to decide that? People usually don't have a clear view of themselves, Lucas. Typically they only see their flaws, the things that supposedly make them a terrible person. They never see the positive things about themselves. They see the negative, and it kills them inside. And sometimes it's up to the people who care about them to help them see all the things that make them such a wonderful person. This is one of those times, Lucas."

The sound of loud coughing kept me from saying anything else, which was probably a good thing. I had been too close to telling him how I felt about him. Then again, maybe it wasn't such an amazing thing.

Lucas's father stumbled down the stairs, even clumsier than I had been earlier. "What the hell is that girl doing here again?" he grumbled, every other word slurring together. He was even drunker than he had been the last time I saw him, and I felt a pang of sympathy for Lucas. I couldn't believe that he had to deal with this everyday.

"She's my friend," Lucas explained, biting his lower lip roughly. "Just go back to sleep, your shift starts at six, doesn't it?"

"What, ya think I'm gonna let me boy be all alone with some city girl?" his father asked, laughing bitterly. "Tell your girlfriend to get out and I'll go back to bed, how's this sound?"

"I'm right here," I muttered indignantly. I could tell that Lucas didn't exactly enjoy his father's company, and it would most likely be best for him if his dad went back to bed. "I'll go home, don't worry about it. But remember everything I said, okay? We're going to talk more tomorrow." I wasn't going to let him decide everything anymore. Like I said, this affected me, too.

"Riley," Lucas whispered my name softly.

I smiled halfheartedly, though kept my hands to myself. I couldn't handle him flinching away from me again, it would hurt too bad. "Tomorrow we'll talk, okay? Get some sleep tonight, Friar, your purple circles are worse than mine. And that's saying something."

He chuckled lightly, and I found myself smiling wider in relief. He leaned over, gently pressing his lips to my hair. He lingered there for a moment before pulling back, smiling that little half-smile of his. "Goodnight, sunshine," he mumbled, almost completely under his breath.

I laughed nervously, feeling my face warm up. It seemed painfully unfair, the effect this boy had on me. I doubt I had the same effect on him at all. "Goodnight, Lucas. I lo-" I cut off abruptly, forcing another awkward laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow at school," I said instead, spinning around and shakily yanking the door open. I managed to step outside without falling flat on my face, which I realized was a victory.

Now, I had to go home. The longer I was away, the more likely it was that my parents were going to catch me. That is, if they hadn't already.

. . .

 **A/N: WE GOT ELEVEN REVIEWS WHICH IS A NEW RECORD WHICH MEANS WE CURRENTLY HAVE 104 REVIEWS WHICH IS AMAZING. Yes, I used the word "which" way too much. But seriously, thank you guys so, so much! I can't believe this, this is so incredible and it means so much to hear your thoughts and opinions. Thank you so much for your lovely reviews. You guys are all incredibly awesome!**

 **So, I wrote this extra long chapter because whoa, we reached 100+ reviews! I'm never getting over this, honestly. But thank you again! Feel free to leave your thoughts on everything that happened in this chapter - like Riley finally admitting to herself that she loves Lucas. That was the only thing I had planned for a rather long time, and it's great to finally share it with you guys!**

 **(Girl Meets World, don't own it. Why must these disclaimers torment me in this cruel way?)**


	20. Chapter 20

I was finally half asleep, only seconds away from actually getting some needed rest before ...

Tap, tap.

"Go away," I mumbled pointlessly, burying my face deeper into my pillow. Right now, I was so tired that an ax murderer could be trying to break into my bedroom and I would probably just throw a pillow at them or something, then politely ask them to come back later.

Still, the tapping didn't cease. It took me a minute to realize that the noise was coming from my window, and I barely stifled a groan. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was Maya. She used to have the habit of breaking into my bedroom when she couldn't sleep at night, insisting that I stay up with her until she fell asleep. We were sixth graders then, but nonetheless Maya had no fear of heading to my apartment in the middle of the night.

However, we were eighth graders now and a glance at my alarm clock determined that it was 12:07 in the morning. Everything had been going great for my fierce blond friend lately, she was even starting to sleep at night instead of relying on brief naps during classes. So what on earth was she doing here now?

I stumbled out of my bed, my eyes still almost completely shut as I shakily pried open the window. "Maya?" I asked groggily.

It was most likely idiotic to do something like this without even opening my eyes. Although I was half-asleep, I believe I might be somewhat bothered if it was a psychopathic killer hovering outside my bay window instead of my best friend.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not Maya."

Wait a minute. That voice was familiar. Reluctantly prying my eyes open, I bit back a surprised shriek when I saw Lucas on the fire escape. After all, we had just talked to each other a few hours ago. It made absolutely no sense for him to be coming to my house right now, when we should both be asleep. "Lucas?" I asked after a moment, my voice sounding only slightly less groggy now.

He snickered, climbing into my room without being invited. "That's me. Listen, did I freak you out or something? Because I honestly didn't mean to, I just needed to talk to you. You can understand that, right?"

I blinked slowly, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Lucas," I repeated, sounding as tired as I felt, "what are you doing in my bedroom at midnight?"

"There's a few things I didn't get to say ... and do ... before my father so rudely interrupted us," he explained. He said the word "father" like I would say a curse word - in reluctant disgust.

I nodded slowly, plopping down at the edge of my bed tiredly. I patted the area besides me and he hesitated before sitting down. "All right," I murmured, still struggling to keep my eyes open. He smiled slightly, as if my exhaustion was endearing or whatever, and if I wasn't so tired I most likely would have commented on it. Right now, though, the only thing that mattered was what he didn't get to say and do. The sooner this was over with, the sooner I could go to sleep.

It wasn't like his presence made me unhappy. Even in my exhausted state of mind, I was insanely overjoyed to see him. It was just a little harder to show it to, not only him, but myself, as well. It felt like all of my nights of sleep deprivation was building up on me, making it harder and harder to stay awake, or even think coherent thoughts.

"Riley," he said my name softly, seemingly thinking something over. "The first time I said this to you, we were arguing and apparently you even doubted that I meant it. But I did, God, believe me here, sunshine."

I raised my eyebrows, another attempt to keep my eyes wide open. "Huh?" Nothing he was saying was making any sense, and it was starting to sound like Shakespearean poetry. It was probably very beautiful, but it didn't make much sense to me at the moment.

"Riley, you know how much I care about you, don't you? I like to think that I've made it pretty clear these past few months, but maybe not as much as I originally thought. You said something about how, if I didn't mean what I said that afternoon, you could understand and we could move forward and all that. Which makes me think I did something to make you doubt how I feel about you."

I managed a weak, humorless laugh. "The things you said to me outside of my dad's classroom, and the lack of speaking to me these past few weeks might have had something to do with it, too," I mumbled, my voice barely louder than a whisper. It was proving to be very difficult, talking to him about such a serious subject when I could barely remember how to spell my name.

Lucas frowned, looking down at my hand before gently taking it in his. I froze, suddenly feeling more awake but kept my mouth clamped shut to keep from saying anything foolish. "I'm in love with you, Riley Matthews," he breathed, his voice even quieter than mine had been.

I swallowed nervously, forcing a light laugh. "Are you sure you want to tell a girl who is half asleep that you're in love with her?" I asked once I regained the majority of my common sense, warily breaking eye contact. His green eyes were hopeful for a response that was different from the one I gave, and I couldn't bear to see even the shortest flash of disappointment.

In my weak defense, I barely even understood what he was saying. Not only that, I could hardly comprehend what I was saying. It was hard enough when I wasn't half-asleep to concentrate around him, especially whenever we were close to each other. It was impossibly difficult to do so when it was a painful struggle to keep my eyes open.

"Sunshine," he spoke softly again. Even though he was trying to hide it, it was easy to catch the hesitation and disappointment in his tone. The guilt hit me like an abrupt punch in the stomach, but I tried to brush it off, biting my lower lip roughly. "Have you been sleeping at all lately?"

"Nope," I answered truthfully, popping the 'p.'

He sighed, tightening his grip on my hand slightly. It took me awhile to realize that he was only squeezing my hand. Wow, I must even more tired than I had suspected. "You should get some rest."

"Don't go," I pleaded almost under my breath. It was somewhat reflexive to say this to me, but I knew right away that I didn't want him to leave. An irrational fear struck me when I thought the word "fear," and I forced myself to take a deep breath. It wouldn't do any good to start freaking out in the middle of the night. The smart thing to do would be postponing this conversation until the morning.

Then again, people who were half-asleep rarely chose the sensible route to follow.

Lucas exhaled again, but it sounded more pained this time. "Trust me, I wish I could stay. My place really, really sucks, but I probably shouldn't. I doubt your dad would be ecstatic to find me in your bedroom, Riley."

I shook my head, mostly to myself, my eyelids shutting unwillingly. I didn't bother to reopen them. "Don't care. I want you to stay with me. Please."

I felt something gently pressing against my temple, and it took me a second to realize it was his lips. The urge to turn my face ever so slightly and press my lips against his was so sudden that I nearly opened my eyes, but he pulled back before I could even finish the thought. "I wish I could, but I can't. You'll understand in the morning, once you've hopefully gotten some sleep."

"Lucas." My voice was whiny now, and helpless plea for him to stay awhile longer. Preferably the rest of the evening.

"Riley," he muttered, somewhat mockingly. I heard him chuckle lightly, and it sounded breathless. Maybe he was as nervous as I was. "I'll see you at school later, won't I? Right now, the best thing for you to do is rest before you suddenly pass out. Makes sense, right?"

"No," I grumbled, even though it did. "Please stay." I didn't even care if I sounded desperate, that's how exhausted I was. But something told me it would be unexpectedly difficult to fall asleep without having him with me. Hopefully that was just me, being delirious due to the lack of sleep.

He chuckled again. "Goodnight, beautiful," he whispered against my hair before tugging his hand away, starting to stand up. I reached out for him, but it was pointless. He was already standing a couple feet away. I could have sworn I hard him laugh again, but his voice was serious when he spoke. "I love you."

I answered without hesitation, and without thought. "I love you, too."

He didn't say anything for a long moment. Too long. I eventually opened my eyes, just to see his silhouette, faintly outlined by the bits of moonlight streaming through my window. It looked like the corners of his mouth were turned up; he was smiling. He turned away from me after awhile, silently climbing out my window and quietly closing it behind him.

Exhaustion unfortunately getting the best of me, I slumped back against my heavy blanket, my eyes fluttering shut again. I vaguely remembered murmuring something that sounded a lot like Lucas's name before finally falling asleep.

. . .

 **A/N: Not exactly a long chapter, but a bit of character development. Feel free to leave your thoughts! What was your favorite part of this chapter? Also, did anyone catch onto how Lucas also mentioned there was something he didn't get to do (as well as say), but he technically didn't do anything? They just talked. Hmm ... ;) For once I have a plan, how terrifying.**

 **Thank you guys so much for your lovely reviews! It absolutely makes my day to hear from all of you, and I'm so glad you seem to enjoy this story! You guys are my inspiration, so thank you so much for that, as well. You're all very incredible people.**

 **(I still do not own Girl Meets World. Oh, well.)**


	21. Chapter 21

I tapped my fingers against my desk nervously, my eyes trained on the doorway in front of me. I was already seated in my father's classroom, feeling as nervous as a teenage girl could possibly feel. It was obvious that Farkle and Maya thought I was acting like a total lunatic, but it was shockingly easy not to focus on them at the moment. Because, unless I was a very creative dreamer, last night Lucas Friar had visited me in my bedroom. And we had said we loved each other.

I had no idea what this meant for our relationship. Before he said he loved me the first time, we had been somewhere between just friends and much more than friends. That had been a surprisingly comfortable place in linger in until a later date. But then everything went completely crazy and changed and now I had no idea what we were.

Which was positively terrifying.

I glanced down at my desk after a minute, deciding that I might as well get everything ready for class. It was supposed to start in no time at all, anyway. Sighing to myself, and vaguely wondering if Lucas was planning to ditch today, I pulled out my pencil and opened up my notebook. It was be entirely too awkward if I ended up failing the class my own father was teaching. Even if it was because I had relationship problems, or whatever the proper thing to call it was. I didn't think my dad would really understand if I had to explain it to him.

"Morning, sunshine."

I jerked my head up instinctively, smiling automatically. "Hey," I said softly. My dad, Farkle, and even Maya seemed a little surprised at our polite exchange, but fortunately didn't comment on it. Lucas took his usual seat right behind me and I fiddled with my fingers nervously, wondering what in the world I was planning on saying to him after class. How do you ask someone if you dreamed telling them you loved them in your bedroom in the middle of the night?

Why couldn't there be a WikiHow page for everything imaginable? It would make life so much easier for everybody.

If anyone could ever imagine a situation like this, of course.

"All right," my dad spoke up suddenly. "The French Revolution. Can anyone tell me what year it hap- Farkle?"

Farkle lowered his hand, grinning slightly. "The French Revolution began in 1789 and lasted until 1799. It was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the French Empire."

My father nodded, smiling almost to himself. He always loved it when people answered his questions. I was beginning to think this was what got him up in the mornings. "Correct. The Revolution ended up overthrowing the monarchy, established a republic, experienced violent periods of political turmoil-"

Maya feigned a yawn. "Shape up, Matthews, you're not only boring me but you're boring the entire class. I'd rather be right smack in the middle of the French Revo-whatever than hear you talk about it anymore."

My dad smiled sarcastically at her. "Thanks so much, future mini mart worker who will unfortunately get paid more than me. But how about this? The Revolution profoundly altered the course of , triggering the global decline of absolute monarchies. Can anybody here tell me what a monarchy is?"

Farkle raised his hand again, but spoke without being called on. "A monarchy is a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch." Maya rolled her eyes, but held back on her usual sarcastic remarks, which was fairly nice.

My dad nodded. "Correct again, Farkle. Now, can any of you human beings tell me the cause of the French Revolution?"

This time, I raised my hand. "Riley?" my dad asked, seeming shocked. I hadn't been raising my hand a lot in the past ... oh, four months?

"No one really knows. Even today, historians continue to debate its cause, because there are pretty much infinite possibilities. We can only guess."

My dad grinned widely. "That's my girl."

. . .

I stumbled out of the classroom once the bell rang, nervously twiddling my thumbs. Maya was standing besides me, grumbling on and on about how school was making her want to light herself on fire. I couldn't help but tune her out, prying open my locker (the door was starting to jam) and stuffing my history book in there. I vaguely heard a familiar laugh, and a glance around determined that it was Farkle. Well, at least I didn't have to feel guilty about tuning Maya out anymore.

"Hey there, sunshine."

I spun around reflexively, narrowly avoiding smashing right into him. Blushing furiously, I forced a shaky laugh. "Hi, Lucas." I was really going to have to get Maya to teach me how to act cool around people. She hid her feelings for Farkle for who knows how long, why couldn't she just teach me how to act cool around the guy I loved?

The guy I loved. It almost amused me, how casually I thought it even though I only accepted it last night. I wondered how long it would take until I started feeling terrified again.

"You know, all that talk about the French Revolution reminded me of something I've never told you," Lucas started, leaning against the lockers besides mine.

Maya snickered. "Oh, this should be funny."

I raised my eyebrows, smiling apologetically on behalf of my best friend. I loved her, I really did, but sometimes she took the whole teasing Lucas thing to absolute extremes. "Let's hear it."

"I speak French."

I laughed breathlessly, and I cringed internally when I realized it made it sound like I didn't believe him. "Seriously?" Okay, maybe I didn't believe him. But I haven't met too many people from Austin, Texas, who know how to speak French. Then again, he was the very first person I had ever met from Texas, so what did I know?

He nodded. "Mhm. My ... my mom taught me how to speak it when I was a little kid. I guess it kind of stuck with me, even now."

I didn't miss his hesitation when he mentioned his mother, but decided not to comment on it. Now was not the time, with Maya and Farkle hovering close by and all these teenagers crowding by the set of lockers. "Whoa, that's sort of amazing." Actually, it was incredible, but I didn't want to seem too impressed. After all, I was trying to give this "cool" facade a shot.

I gave it five minutes until I started acting like a complete idiot again.

Lucas chuckled, before abruptly biting his bottom lip hard. Leaning towards me, he lightly brushed his lips against my ear. "Je t'aime, Riley," he whispered softly.

The first warning bell rang then, and he pulled away from me, smirking widely. "I'll catch up with you guys later," he said casually, winking at me before already heading off to his next class.

"Since when are you guys talking again?" Maya asked the second he was out of hearing range, her eyebrows raising expectantly.

I blinked a few times, somewhat frozen in place before reluctantly turning around to face her. "Huh?" Well, so much for five more minutes until I started acting like a complete idiot again. In my defense, the boy I was in love with had just murmured something in my ear, something that I didn't understand, and-

And it was very, very hot.

I blushed the second the thought crossed my mind, tugging out my textbook for my next class and shutting my locker door quickly. I unintentionally ended up slamming it, though, and everyone nearby winced from the loud noise. Laughing nervously, I swung my book bag over my shoulders and turned so I was facing Farkle and Maya again. They were both staring at me like I grew a second head, but I honestly couldn't blame them. I was acting much weirder than usual. "Um, since last night. We should probably get to class."

"You-" Maya started, before seemingly changing her mind, shaking her head to herself. "Sure, all right. But we're talking about this later."

Greeeat.

. . .

The cafeteria was already crowded by the time I entered; my last class had ended up running late. I exhaled, not looking forward to the inevitable long line, but stepped in line, anyway. Rocking back an forth on the heels of my feet, I looked around the large room. There were so many teenagers and kids, talking about a million different topics. There were so many things we all had in common: We were all most likely worrying about something or somebody, we all loved and cared for people, we all felt broken sometimes. Maybe more than we cared to admit. But it was as if everyone focused on the things that set us apart, and used that for excuses to hurt the people different from them.

I shook my head to myself, my thoughts wandering to a subject I had been avoiding thinking about. Farkle getting bullied, that is. I knew that it had probably been pretty hard on him, and I felt awful for not being there as much as I should have. We were supposed to be friends, but I hadn't been the greatest friend to him these past few months. I would have to find some way to make it up to him.

"Matthews," a familiar voice greeted me, traces of playfulness in his tone.I smiled, turning around a bit.

"Friar," I retorted, pleased that I wasn't acting as insane as I had been earlier. I had gotten the chance to translate what he said to me after my father's class, but I hoped it wasn't too important. Knowing me, it would end up slipping my mind and I would never find out what it meant.

Lucas pressed his forehead against mine, catching me off guard. No wonder I never knew what to expect from this boy, he was constantly doing or saying new, unexpected things. I assumed that was a small part of why I fell so hard for him. "I'm hoping we can resume our tradition of sitting together at lunch now?"

"If you want, sure." I sounded so nonchalant that it was actually funny. It made no sense to me, how I was acting so casual about whatever was going on between us when I felt lie a nervous wreck. Still, maybe this meant that all these years of hanging around Maya were finally beginning to rub off on me and I was "cool."

Or maybe everything that had been happening lately had finally crashed down on me and I had officially snapped. Either way, I wasn't complaining.

He chuckled lightly, almost as breathless as my laughter this morning. "Of course I do. Haven't I made that extremely clear lately? I've been trying to, at least. The little French bit outside of history class is a great example of that."

Someone behind us cleared their throat and I reluctantly pulled away from Lucas, stepping forward in line. He immediately followed me, wrapping his arms around my waist like it was completely natural. Like we had been together for months, instead of just friends. Which we technically still were. "You do realize what I said in French, right?"

I briefly considered lying through my teeth, before realizing that it would only backfire. Besides, wasn't I trying to look cool, thus avoiding seeming like a little weirdo? "No," I muttered honestly.

He leaned closer to me, his lips lightly brushing mine. I swallowed hard, raising my eyebrows slightly but not saying anything. I couldn't trust my voice enough, for my luck it would end up cracking. "It means, I love you, Riley," he mumbled, just loud enough for me to hear.

I swallowed hard, my nerves acting up again. It was a miracle I could manage to think somewhat coherently, even though it felt like I was about to start screaming. "Oh," I choked out at last, my traitor voice sounding as nervous as I felt.

He chuckled, gently nudging me forward so we were moving up in line. "I believe I already mentioned that a couple times last night, correct?"

"So it wasn't a dream." Well, so much for being subtle about my fears. I blushed lightly, reflexively starting to step away from him, but he pulled me even closer so there was barely any distance between us.

Nodding, he smirked. "It most definitely was not a dream. Neither was what you said to me the second time. You do recall that, right, sunshine?"

"I do."

"Did you mean it?"

I opened my mouth to tell him that I did, but it felt like I was paralyzed. A pointed cough behind us motivated me to tug away from Lucas, taking a few steps forward. Apparently we had been lingering in place for longer than I had originally thought. No wonder so many people were shooting us dirty looks.

I risked a glimpse at Lucas, lacing my fingers together instinctively. It was as if I always did this whenever I wasn't around Maya, and I wasn't quite sure why. "Are you sure our middle school cafeteria is the most incredible place to discuss this personal subject?"

He shrugged simply, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I guess it's better than nowhere. Besides, it isn't like we can just pretend it never happened, because it did."

He was throwing my won words in my face. Cringing slightly, I took another step forward in line, picking up one of the bright red trays and flashing Geralyn a wide smile. "Hi, Geralyn."

"Riley," she greeted brightly. "How are you this afternoon?" she asked, loading my tray up with mashed potatoes. My dad's favorite, he was going to be so ecstatic.

I smiled somehow wider. "I'm fine, thanks. And you?"

"I'm good."

The person who had been standing behind Lucas and I in line coughed fakely again. My annoyance finally getting the best of me, I spun around. "Okay, what is you-?" The rest of my question fell flat when I realized who the person was.

Missy Bradford.

She smiled innocently, twirling a strand of her light brown hair around her pointer finger. But of course, there was nothing innocent about Missy Bradford. I vaguely wondered if there ever was any innocence in her life. "Aww, I'm sorry. My throat is just so sore lately! But- oh. Lucas, Riley! It's so fabulous to see you two. It's been awhile since we've gotten a chance to talk."

"I thought you two were friends," I said unthinkingly, gesturing between Lucas and Missy.

The brunette girl's expression hardened, but only long enough for me to see. "Oh, we are. but friends drift sometimes. I remember the same exact thing occurring with you and that blond friend of yours. Not that I see anything wrong with that. She seems pretty cruel."

A sarcastic laugh slipped from my lips, but I couldn't bring myself to feel any remorse. "Trust me, Maya Hart isn't cruel at all. She's amazing."

Missy's eyebrows furrowed together in false confusion. "Are you sure about that, Riley? All those nicknames she's given Lucas ... you know, I would have expected you to mind those, considering how close your friendship with Lucas is." Then, turning to Lucas, she continued, "or is already something more? Personally, I think you two would be awful together, but-"

"No offense, but I really don't care about your opinion," I interrupted quickly. Things were finally going fine, I wasn't going to let anyone mess it up. It was like Lucas and I were standing on a fragile line - it would only take the slightest bit of conflict to throw us off balance. And I wasn't sure I could handle going through anything like that again.

She raised a single eyebrow, seemingly offended. But I knew better. Missy couldn't care less what I thought, it was only an excuse to use her acting skills and try to make me look bad. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard the girl," Maya said, coming up to us. She glanced between me and Lucas before exhaling, grabbing our wrists. "Come on, let's get you two seated before anymore drama happens. That's the last thing either of you need right now," she added, flashing Missy a sarcastic smile before dragging Lucas and I out of line, our full trays still in our hands.

She stopped abruptly, releasing us both and spinning around. Her blond hair practically danced with the movement, catching the attention of quite a few teenage guys. Maya didn't even spare them a single look, her attention fixated on Missy. "By the way, I loathe you. So it's pretty meaningless to me if you think I'm 'cruel' or vicious or whatever," she said, still grinning sarcastically before latching onto Lucas and I again, literally pulling us to our usual lunch table.

We sat besides each other, and Maya plopped down in the seat across from me. "Riley, honey, not to sound rude, but are you out of your mind? That's freaking Missy Bradford! She's been trying to start a fight with you for the past two months!"

"Really?" I asked quietly, surprised. I was well aware of the fact that Missy didn't like me at all, but this was news to me.

"Doesn't Farkle usually sit with you guys? Lucas asked, subtly changing the subject.

Maya waved her hand dismissively. "Emergency debate club meeting. Riles, honestly, what were you thinking? You can't let her get to you."

"I didn't, not really," I mumbled.

My best friend heaved a quiet sigh, slumping her shoulders. "I know, I know. You wouldn't have said it if you didn't think it was best, et cetera, et cetera. But just try to avoid her, okay? She's sly, cunning, and she can get you into big trouble without even trying. You, too, Sundance," she added halfheartedly.

"Noted," Lucas muttered.

Avoiding Missy Bradford was going to work out a lot better than trying to avoid Lucas had in January. For starters, I wasn't completely infatuated with her. And I didn't exactly want anything to do with her.

So what could possibly go wrong?

. . .

 **A/N: Well, this chapter was a lot longer than I had originally planned, haha. So this chapter was mainly Rucas fluff and a brief encounter with Missy Bradford ... hmm. But anyways, thank you guys so much for all your reviews! We already have 119 and it's so amazing! I absolutely love hearing what you guys think, you're all very intelligent and nice and just asdfghjkl. Thank you.**

 **So, thoughts on Lucas and Riley? Lucas speaking French? Missy trying to antagonize Riley? Anything at all? It's great to read what you think! :D Thanks for reading!**

 **(I don't own Girl Meets World. I'm literally too tired to even think of adding a sarcastic remark. Sigh.)**


	22. Chapter 22

"Riley, there's something I need to talk to you about. And I need you to take me seriously, because I've never been this serious before in my entire life. Which is saying a heck of a lot."

I raised an eyebrow at Lucas, encouraging him to continue. "I always take you seriously, Lucas. So, what's going on?"

It was the day after our encounter with Missy Bradford in the cafeteria. She had skipped school today, so it was fairly uneventful, aside from a tiny disagreement breaking out between Maya and Farkle. They had excused themselves from our lunch table before it got too severe, and neither one of them would discuss it the rest of the day.

We were hanging out in my bedroom, Lucas having sneaked into my room via my delightful bay window entrance. I knew that my dad was likely to have a stroke if he knew there was a boy in my bedroom, but fortunately he was working late today; he had lots of papers he needed to grade, and figured it would be easier to just grade them in his classroom. My mom, however, had gotten home early ...

I was trying not to worry about that, though. She was dealing with Auggie and Ava, and not only that, she trusted me far more than my father did. My mom knew that nothing would even happen between Lucas and I, we were still middle school kids, after all. Even if he was a year older than me. No matter what, she would always trust me to make the responsible decisions. And this was one of them.

He shrugged simply, suddenly very interested in my carpeting. "Well, I told you I loved you," he muttered. Despite my mom's trust, we still knew enough to keep our voices low. She would inevitably tell my dad if Lucas was in my bedroom, and neither of us wanted to deal with his wrath. "This probably sounds pretty juvenile, and I'm sorry about that, but the only time you've said it back, you were half-asleep. I'm not even sure if that counts."

I swallowed hard, nervously toying with a loose thread on my sweater. "Oh," I mumbled, sounding about as deflated as I felt. Since it was May, our final middle school dance was coming up, right before we graduated. I think I might have been hoping he would ask me to be his date.

"Yeah," he murmured, pressing his lips together in a hard line. "I figured we needed to talk about that sooner or later."

"You chose sooner," I stated. Maybe I was stalling, if only a little bit, but I couldn't help myself. This was one conversation I wanted to postpone having for as long as possible. I didn't know why, but I just did. Even if it sounded completely mental.

Lucas nodded. "I did. It's better than putting it off for a million years and having to talk about it at the last possible second, right?"

"I'm not too certain about that," I said, then realizing that I had spoken aloud, awkwardly cleared my throat. His expression was incredulous now, with a hint of badly disguised hurt, and I felt my heart ache. His pain was now my pain; it was as if we were a package deal. I had not been expecting this. "Sorry."

He paused for a long moment, fiddling with his fingers before speaking up. "Riley," he started. "That night you said you loved me ... is it possible that you didn't mean it?"

"Anything is possible," I heard myself say. No! I screamed at myself, cringing internally. I must be going out of my mind. These weren't the things I had been intending to say.

His face fell, although he quickly became expressionless. No. This was my least favorite look on him; the look of the broken boy desperate to hide how he was truly feeling inside. The fact that I had been the one the make him this way now put knots in my stomach, as well as a hard lump in my throat. "Of course." Even his voice was completely emotionless.

Wanting to try to salvage the situation before it was too late, I backpedaled. "I mean, of course anything and everything is possible. That doesn't mean that's the way things are, though." I probably sounded like a total lunatic. I couldn't even bring myself to care, there were more pressing issues at hand than what people might think of me.

He raised his eyebrows, but made no other move. "What?"

"It's possible that my parents don't love each other, but they do," I attempted to explain. "Like I said, anything is totally possible. But that doesn't mean that's the way it is."

"Riley ..."

I loved him as much as I could love anybody. That much I was sure of; had been sure of for awhile now. My subconscious had been aware of this before my brain was, but there was no point in denying it. I loved Lucas Friar. The only problem was finding some way to tell him.

I was afraid of falling in love and giving someone complete control of my emotions. I didn't want to end up broken the same way Maya's mom had been. She was happy now, with Shawn (even though they were still unofficial), but it hadn't always been that way. She had been pretty unhappy for a long time, and the thought of ending up as crushed as she had been was absolutely terrifying.

But wouldn't it be better to have open loved and lost, than keeping it all bottled up inside? If you love someone, you should tell them before it was too late. That was a fraction of the advice I repeatedly offered people. It might be time to take my own advice.

"Listen, sunshine, I think I better get going before my father-" he cut off abruptly, his face scrunching up in distaste over the word.

I took this as my opportunity to say something really rather important before it was too late. It was time to lay it all on the line, time to be fearless. It was time. "I love you."

He stopped abruptly, his hand freezing on window, which he had been about to pry open. "Huh?" He looked as caught off guard as I felt. It would have been pretty funny if I wasn't feeling so horrified.

I wasn't half-asleep this time, I was totally coherent. There were no more excuses I could use for never saying it back to him. Right here, right now, I had told him I loved him. There was no way I was going to be able to take it back now.

There was no way I even wanted to.

"I said, I love you," I added, although my tone wasn't as desperate as it had been the first time. "So you see, you have no reason to run away now. I'm not planning on hurting you, Lucas, and if I do, or if I have already, I apologize. But there's positively no way I'm going to allow you to run away." I was kind of proud of myself; My voice sounded just as fierce as my mom's when she was proving a point to someone.

Maybe I could be fierce, too.

The sound of the front door shutting made us both jump, unwillingly tearing our gazes away from each other. Lucas cursed under his breath before shooting me a crooked smile. "Maybe I'll stop by later. But, you know, I wasn't planning on running away too far. I can't stay away from you very long," he added quietly, before climbing out on the fire escape. I reluctant closed the window behind him, drawing the curtains together in case my dad decided to pay me an unexpected visit.

. . .

"The dance is next week and Lucas hasn't asked me yet!" I whined to Joshua.

He had stopped by to visit my dad, but I had practically thrown my dad out the door and insisted he go hang out with Shawn. My mom was helping my little brother with his homework in the kitchen and Josh and I were in my bay window, so it was safe to say that nobody could hear us. Which was a good thing - my parents were still blissfully unaware of my relationship with Lucas.

Not that it could even be considered a relationship, since the boy hadn't even asked me to go to our final middle school dance with him.

Josh cringed awkwardly, resting the back of his head against the window. "I dunno, Riley. From the one time that I actually did meet your boyfriend-"

"He's not my-"

"-he seemed pretty into you," Josh continued as if I had not spoken. Why did so many people have the habit of doing that around me? "He stuck up for you to Shawn Hunter, for crying out loud. But seriously, this isn't the nineties. If you want something, go get it."

"That's what Maya said," I sighed impatiently. "But it's the principle of the matter, you know? Lucas told me he ... has feelings for me. I mean, I said it back, but technically he still said it first. So shouldn't that mean he needs to ask me, instead of the other way around?"

"Gotta love your logic, Riley," he teased, before hesitating. "Is Maya going with Turtleneck?"

I sighed again, although out of exasperation this time. "His name is Farkle, and yes, I would assume so. They've gotten into a couple disagreements over who knows what, but everything is still perfectly fine between them."

"Of course."

"Josh, she's too young for you, anyway. She's fourteen, you're seventeen. Right now, at this age, that's a really big deal." Okay, so maybe I was lying a little bit. The age difference was practically meaningless, but I couldn't figure out a way to politely explain to Joshua that Maya had feelings for Farkle, and only Farkle. It had apparently been like that for a fairly long time, and honestly, I didn't see it changing any time soon.

He nodded, biting his bottom lip. "I know. It's just a tiny crush, Riley. Don't worry about it."

Tap, tap.

I spun around abruptly, nearly crashing into my window, but coming face to face with Maya. Realizing that the window was locked, I awkwardly unlocked it and pulled it open. "Hi, Maya!"

Oh, wait.

Maya. And Joshua. In my bedroom, with me in the middle.

There was no way I was going to like how this would inevitably turn out.

Needless to say, I breathed a silent sigh of relief when I saw that Lucas was right behind her. Josh and I stepped away from the sacred bay window, giving them both room to climb inside. I winced internally when I realized that Josh and I had unintentionally "summoned" the people we cared about in the more-than-friends way. This was going to be awkward.

"Not that I'm insanely happy to see you both, but what are you guys doing here?" I asked warily, grabbing Maya's wrist when she nearly lost her balance besides my bed. Maybe my klutziness was contagious.

Lucas smirked slightly, although it quickly merged into a grimace within only seconds. "Same old, same old. Being buried alive with heaps and heaps of annoying homework, an old friend of mine won't stop blowing up my phone even though I don't want to talk to him and- oh, right!" he added, with sarcastic cheeriness.

"What?" I asked slowly. This couldn't possibly be good.

"My so-called 'dad' kicked me out."

. . .

 **A/N: DUN, DUN, DUN!**

 **Okay, but seriously. Even I didn't see that coming. Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! It makes my day to hear from you all. I have a few questions for you, simply because I'm a bit of a pushover - why do you think Maya was with Lucas? Thoughts on his dad kicking him out? And what about Josh's little crush on Maya, hmm. Could this cause conflict between Faya? (Even I don't know. Yikes.)**

 **Thank you again for reviewing! Do you guys think we could hit 130 reviews with this chapter? It's totally cool if not, but it's literally one of my favorite numbers. Honestly, I'm not even sure why.**

 **(Also, you know the usual. Me no own Girl Meets World.)**


	23. Chapter 23

I stared at Lucas for what felt like an eternity, but in reality was probably only a couple seconds. I shook my head to clear my mind, raising an eyebrow. "What?" The only explanation was that I had misheard him. Because there's positively no way his father would ever throw him out. Despite his addiction to alcohol, I just couldn't see him doing that to his only child.

Lucas laughed, but it sounded bitter. Humorless. "I said my dad kicked me out, Riley. I'm officially living on the streets. I figured I should tell you."

"You can stay with us," I offered automatically, my head still spinning. "We have a guest bedroom and it would be absolutely perfect for you. It's the room that Shawn stayed in before he got his apartment above us ..." I trailed off. None of this was making any sense to me, not even the words that I was saying. The fact that Lucas's dad had actually thrown him out of the house was completely appalling to me. Josh and Maya didn't seem shocked at all, though. Even Lucas didn't. Maybe there was something seriously wrong with me.

Lucas snickered. "I honestly doubt your parents would be huge fans of that."

I was barely listening to him at this point. There were questions I had been avoiding asking, and the least appropriate place to ask them was in front of Joshua. After all, he didn't know very much about Lucas's past, aside from him being kicked out of school. Even then, that was only because of Lucas accidentally admitting it in front of everyone that one afternoon. "What about your mother? When we were first getting to know each other, you said you lived here in NYC with your mom, whereas your father lived back in Texas. What changed?"

Joshua glanced between the three of us, looking uncomfortable. "Hey, listen, I think I'm going to drop by Shawn's and talk to my brother. So I'll catch you guys later. Good luck with your situation," he added before locking eyes with Maya. He paused, hesitant, before turning around and exiting my bedroom. We all stayed painfully silent until we heard the front door close.

"Your mom," I pressed with a pointed look in Lucas's direction. There were plenty of questions I had for Maya, as well. Such as what she was doing with "Huckleberry," but now wasn't the time. I would have to ask her later.

He focused intently on the bay window, and it took me about half a second to realize what he was about to do. I grabbed his wrist, holding it tightly. It wouldn't be enough to keep him from running away, of course, but hopefully it would be enough to stall him for a few seconds. "Lucas, I've told you everything about. My life, my family, my friends ... and how I feel." It was strange, saying that part in front of Maya, so I quickly continued. "Don't you think I at least deserve a little explanation before you run away?"

Lucas kept his eyes locked on me before tugging his wrist away, crossing his arms impatiently. "I wasn't planning on running away, Riley. I'm not that irresponsible. Besides, where would I go? Last time I checked, my new home is a park bench."

"You're staying with us," I said firmly. "Please quit trying to change the subject and just tell us what happened with your mother."

He shrugged, reluctantly sitting in my bay window seat. I sat besides him, and Maya sat next to me, uncharacteristically quiet. "She got a better job offer in California. She took the offer without hesitation and somehow convinced my father to move out here to take care of me. She didn't want me going with her," Lucas added, when he noticed my confused frown. "We have a pretty rocky relationship, almost as bad as my relationship with my so-called dad. But she didn't drink."

"Wow," I breathed, then mentally slapped myself. Now was not the time for wow's.

Lucas smirked, though it faded within seconds. "Yeah. I'm guessing she paid him, because God knows there's nothing more important to my father than money. Except for beer, but I'm thinking you already know that, Riley."

I blinked slowly, unwilling to respond to that comment. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked at last.

"What was I supposed to say? There was nothing you could do to fix my situation, and besides, there was no reason to stress you out. This is my life, sunshine. I have to deal with whatever is tossed my way no my way."

I shook my head immediately. "You aren't alone, Lucas. You have me, Farkle, Maya ... you don't have to deal with anything by yourself. Not anymore."

Maya cleared her throat loudly, and we both snapped our heads towards her. "That reminds me," she began, her tone reluctant. "Riley, as much as I hate to admit it, he's right about one thing. There's no way your dad would be cool with Lucas crashing at your place. But ..."

"But what?" I asked slowly. I wasn't sure I was going to like where this was going.

She ran her hand through her blond hair messily, lips pursed momentarily. "Shawn," she said at last. "He's already doing a pretty fantastic job at fixing things with me and my mother."

"I don't want to fix a damn thing with my par-"

"Quier, Ranger Rick," Maya interjected. Rolling her eyes, she continued, "I was thinking that he could take you in."

Silence.

I swallowed hard after a long moment, unsure of how to proceed without saying anything wrong. "But he's your father figure, Maya. This is what you've wanted your entire life. And there's no guarantee that Shawn could actually support-"

She held up a single hand to silence me. "I can share. I'm not quite that needy, Riles. Besides, Shawn has that new website he's running, remember? He's making tons of money over it, I think he can support a good majority of the people in this apartment building by now."

"Who says he would even want to?" And then there was Lucas, asking the one question I was terrified of even thinking.

"There's only one way to find out, right?" Maya asked, raising her eyebrows. "Or would you prefer actually crashing on dirty park benches downtown? Because if so, fine, I'll stay out of your hair. Who needs civilized living conditions, anyways?"

"Maya," I hissed.

Lucas paused for a long moment before cracking a small smile. "You're really something, Maya. But fine, whatever, I guess you are sort of right. We'll talk to the guy, but I doubt he's going to be too ecstatic to see me, considering my last encounter with him."

Maya smiled slightly, although it wasn't her usual condescending or cruel half-smile she always wore around Lucas. "Actually, I don't think that's going to be the one and only thing on his mind. You two might be able to relate to each other in ways even I can barely comprehend. But that's all I'm saying, it isn't my business to go around spilling stories about Shawn Hunter's life."

"Oh my goodness," I breathed, my voice barely even a whisper. All the puzzle pieces were falling in place now, and Maya's idea made perfect sense. I felt like a total idiot for not realizing it sooner.

Shawn's father had been an alcoholic. He ended up throwing him out, as well, although he had done it because it was the best thing for Shawn. It still had to hurt, though. If anyone could understand what Lucas was going through at the moment, it would obviously be Shawn. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner. Wasn't it my responsibility to fix everything between everybody? How could I possibly do that when I couldn't piece the simplest things together?

Shaking it off, I switched my attention back to Lucas. "Never mind. Come on, we better get going. It might be easier to talk to Shawn if my dad and Uncle Joshua are still with him. Less awkwardness that way, I think."

"You really think so?" Maya asked, smirking slightly.

"I'm hoping."

. . .

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Maya?" Lucas asked, fiddling with his fingers. We were hesitating outside of Uncle Shawn's door, none of us willing to make the first move and knock on the dang door. Least of all me. Even though I knew that Shawn didn't dislike me, and everything between us had already been sorted out awhile ago, being around him still made me nervous. It would even worse than usual because we were technically asking him for a favor. And not just a tiny, mini favor, but a gigantic one. Truth be told, I was terrified of him saying no.

Maya rolled her eyes, finally reaching over and banging on the door once. "It'll be fine, Ranger Rick. and if it isn't, well, at least we can say that we tried, right? That's the most any of us could have done. But I'm guessing he'll have a bit of a soft spot for you."

"How come?" he asked, although it didn't seem like he really wanted the answer.

The door swung open before either of us got the chance to respond. Lucas and I both stumbled back reflexively, but Maya stayed rooted in place, the corners of her lips turning up ever so slightly. "Hey, ace."

Shawn cracked a small smile, looking between all three of us. "Maya, Riley, Lucas. What brings you kids to my luxurious and almost totally empty apartment? If you're here to talk to Cory or Joshua-"

"We're not," I muttered, forcing a nervous smile. "There's actually something we came to talk to you about. And it's extremely important, so we need you to take us seriously."

"Riley?" my dad asked, coming up from behind Shawn. Dad and Shawn exchanged a quick, somewhat frantic glance before setting sights on us again. I forced another awkward laugh, twiddling my thumbs. Maya, noticing, snickered under her breath before turning to Shawn.

"We can come in, yeah?" she asked.

Shawn chuckled, nodding once. "Yeah, of course. Come on in," he mumbled, taking a few steps back to make room for us, with my dad following his lead. Maya walked in without a single look back, but Lucas and I hesitated; We both knew how crucial the next couple minutes would be, and it was horrifying to think that quite literally everything had the potential to explode in our faces right here, right now.

Lucas ended up making the first move, stepping inside but holding his hand out. I paused, my eyes flitting between his hand and my dad, before I eventually gave in, gently grasping his hand and intertwining our fingers. It was fairly obvious that everyone in the room -including Maya and Josh- noticed, but fortunately no one commented on it. I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"So, what is it that you three kids needed to talk to me about?" Shawn asked at last, his eyes flitting between us again, although not as quickly as before. They rested on Lucas for a moment longer than before, but nobody commented on that, either. I supposed that was a good thing.

"Huckleberry's alcoholic daddy kicked him out and he needs a place to crash. I figured coming to you would be the best option," Maya said tactlessly. I felt my jaw drop open in shock, but I somehow managed to close it within a couple seconds. There was no need to look like a complete and utter fool at a time like this. Not when the next two minutes or so were going to determine whether or not this was going to be the end of everything.

"What?!" Dad exclaimed, the face of horror and surprise. "How did- why did nobody ever tell me about this?!"

"Because it happened like an hour ago?" Lucas asked dully, his voice completely devoid of any emotion. It was back to acting like he had no feelings, like the situation with his father didn't bother him at all, but I could see right through him. I knew him better than I thought I did, and that realization came as a surprise to me. I tried not to focus on that, though, instead locking eyes with Uncle Shawn. I was praying that he realized how serious this was, and how badly we needed his help.

My father shook his head quickly. "Not that, Lucas. Your father being an alcoholic."

"He didn't even tell Riley," Maya said simply, leaning against a nearby wall. "She went to his place and kind of stumbled into Daddy Friar, I'm guessing."

"What?!" my father shouted, seeming far more horrified than appropriately shocked now. "When exactly did this happen, Riley?"

I squirmed uncomfortably, instinctively tightening my grip on Lucas's hand. I hoped I was hurting him; My grip was getting pretty tight right about now. "Awhile back ago. I don't see why it matters at the moment, though. Don't you think we have more pressing issues at hand, Dad?"

He paused thoughtfully before his shoulders slumped. "Yeah, okay."

I breathed another quiet sigh of relief, turning back to Uncle Shawn. He seemed to be very deep in thought, and I was unsure of whether that was a positive sign or a negative sign. When it came to people like Shawn and Maya, it was difficult to tell. Eventually his expression softened, and he nodded. "Yeah, you can stay with me, kid."

"Shawn?" Dad asked, raising his eyebrows questionably. "You're sure about this?"

"Yeah, are you really sure? Because I don't exactly feel like getting randomly kicked out again," Lucas said simply. His voice was still somewhat emotionless, but I caught onto the tiny traces of hopefulness. I kind of lost control then - in other words, I became Smiley Riley again. There was something about the people I cared about feeling hopeful that always made me really happy. It was hard to understand, much less describe.

Shawn chuckled lightly, but it sounded a little humorless. "Trust me, Lucas. I don't kick people out, not when I've been in your place before."

"Called it," Maya murmured, smiling to herself.

Joshua cleared his throat, making his presence known again. "Maybe we ought to get going. We could give Shawn and Lucas a chance to get to know each other better, especially since they're gonna be roommates now."

"Lucas?" I asked softly.

He glanced down at me, his lips pressed together tightly, before he hesitantly smiled. "You should spend some time with your family, anyway. I feel like I'm using up all your free time - even I can admit that isn't exactly fair of me to be doing."

"I don't mind," I blurted unthinkingly.

He laughed once, short but sincere. Which was good enough for me. "I don't, either. I'll text you later, though." Which, in our secret language, meant that he would be climbing through my bay window later this evening. That was practically required at this point - we had a lot to talk about. The types of things we couldn't get away with discussing in front of anybody.

I nodded. "Okay," I whispered, reluctantly pulling my hand away from his. I spun around so I was facing Maya, who was still leaning against the wall, almost completely motionless. "Are you ready to get going?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Besides, Farkle and I have plans tonight." She was smiling almost as wide as one of my traditional Riley Matthews grins, and it took everything in me not to start jumping up and down for joy. Two people I really cared about we happy and hopeful. There was nothing better than that.

Still, it was hard to pretend that I didn't see the flash of pain in Josh's eyes.

There had to be something I could do to help him out. The only problem was figuring out what exactly that was.

. . .

 **A/N: Hey, people! So, to start things off I wanted to thank everybody for reviewing. It's so incredible to hear what you guys think, and I honestly hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do you think we could possibly reach 140 reviews? I like even numbers. xD It's still great if we don't, though, I love just getting one or two reviews! Thank you for reading, as well.**

 **Do you think Lucas's new living arrangement is going to work out all right? Thoughts on the Farkle-Maya-Joshua love triangle? Any characters that are annoying you at the moment? Is the author of this story irritating you? Feel free to tell me what you think! I love hearing your thoughts.**

 **Also, RUCAS FOREVER (Guest) - It's so awesome to read your reviews! I figured I would put a little shout out here, haha. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! You're incredible!**

 **Also again, I do not own GMW. You knew that, though.**


	24. Chapter 24

"Should you really leave your window unlocked like that in New York City?"

I glanced up from my notebook, gently setting my pen next to me, barely keeping it from slipping off my bed. "You know, Lucas, the best thing to say whilst unexpectedly climbing into someone's bedroom is hello," I said teasingly, lacing my fingers together tightly. It was a little past ten o'clock at night, and I wasn't the least bit surprised that he was here. I had figured he would be coming tonight, anyway. We both knew there was a lot we still needed to talk about before anything else could happen between us.

Lucas chuckled, quietly closing my window and walking over. He paused a couple feet away from my bed, eyebrows furrowing together. "I'm appropriately shocked, though. It's a hell of a lot harder to sneak out of Shawn's apartment than my father's house. Which is weird, considering the fact that I'm pretty much right above you."

I smiled, patting the space besides me on my bed. "That's because Shawn is actually keeping an eye on you, Lucas. He's basically the next Jonathan Turner."

He hesitated, biting his bottom lip lightly before sitting next to me. "Who's Jonathan Turner?"

"He taught my mom, my dad, and Uncle Shawn when they were teenagers. Shawn drifted towards him, I guess, and they grew pretty close. After a situation with his parents, Shawn actually ended up moving in with Jonathan," I explained quietly.

"What exactly happened with Shawn's parents?"

This wasn't my story to tell, that much was obvious. Even Maya had acknowledged the fact that she shouldn't go around spilling tales from Shawn's childhood. The same exact thing applied to me. "You should ask him sometime. It isn't really my story to tell."

Lucas heaved a quiet sigh, nodding once. "Yeah, I know. I'm supposed to be trying to get to know him better, but it's harder than I had anticipated, you know? I've spent the past couple months with somebody who didn't want anything to do with me, and before that I lived with my mother, and well, she's a lot like my father in that sense. Sometimes I wonder if they even remember my name," he chuckled humorlessly.

I pressed my lips together firmly, before hesitantly reaching out, gently grasping his hand in mine. "I'm really sorry about your mom and dad, Lucas. You deserve so much better than that."

He quickly tore his gaze away from me, instead choosing to focus intently on our hands. "It's not a big deal," he mumbled after a moment. "After awhile you start to accept that you're never going to have a typical relationship with either of your parents. I mean, it makes all the commercials and TV shows with happy families a little irritating, but you get used to that, too. It doesn't even take that much time."

I chewed on my lower lip lightly, unsure of whether or not I should ask him the question on my mind now. After awhile I decided that if I didn't, I would just end up blurting it out at an inappropriate time, and that was a perfect way to look like a total idiot. Which I was trying not to do around him. "Were they always this way?"

"No," he muttered, still unwilling to meet my eyes. "There was a time where we were sort of normal. But things change, life happens, stuff gets in the way of everything. I'm guessing they just fell out of love with each other. If they actually cared about each other in the first place, that is."

I frowned instinctively. I hated hearing him sound so sad. Especially since I could tell he was trying his hardest to hide it. "But that shouldn't affect the way they treat you."

"And yet it does," Lucas murmured, almost under his breath now. He exhaled again, finally meeting my eager eyes. "It's all right if we talk about something entirely different, right? No offense, I don't mind your questions, but I'm not a huge fan of chatting about my supposed parents."

I nodded slowly. "Of course, no problem at all. But .. what would you like to talk about instead?" Selfish as it probably sounded, I was still hoping he would ask me to our final middle school dance. I doubted it was even on his mind after everything he had been through, but it still meant everything to me. I couldn't even understand why. There were so many other things going on in my life right now, so many things I was promising myself I would take care of and fix. But I couldn't even bring myself to think twice about any of those things, especially when Lucas was right here.

He shrugged. "I don't know. What exactly is going on in your life? Besides your friend and his troublesome problems he keeps bugging you with, of course," he added, smirking slightly.

"You aren't bugging me at all, but not much. I think my Uncle Josh has feelings for Maya, and I'm trying to think of a way to help him get over that. Oh, and I've been trying to find an outfit for that little school dance, but that isn't really important." Real smooth, Matthews.

About as smooth as chunky peanut butter, that is.

Lucas laughed lightly, and I was pleased to realize it was lacking its usual bitterness. "Has it honestly taken you this long to realize that, sunshine? I know you, you're much more intuitive than that."

And he completely ignored what I said about the dance. I finally work up the nerve to mention it, even if it was only in passing, and he totally neglects to comment on it. Life was probably laughing really hard right about now. "Well, no. It was fairly obvious, but I suppose I wanted to believe that it wasn't true. Maya has feelings for Farkle and they're a couple - Josh is only going to end up hurt, and I don't want that happening to him."

"Set him up with someone else?" he suggested.

I raised my eyebrows. "Like who?"

"Try to see if Farkle has any not-so-secret admirers," he said playfully. "Honestly, I don't know, sunshine. It isn't up to you to fix everything, though. That's way too much pressure on you, and I don't want you ending up hurt, either. Joshua will probably end up getting over his little crush in his own time. Don't worry about it."

He was right and I knew it, but I still felt the urge to disagree. I blamed the sleep deprivation; it was becoming hard to fall asleep at night again, my thoughts screaming so loud it gave me nightly migraines. "No, you had a point at first. I should try to set him up with someone else. But I doubt Farkle has any not-so-secret admirers, so the real question is ... who?"

Lucas stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head to himself. "You're really something, Riley."

I tried not to dwell too much on the fact that he said the exact same thing to Maya this afternoon. I was only going to drive myself crazy if I kept pondering every word he's ever said around. And how exactly could I go around fixing everything if I was stuck in a mental hospital?

"Thanks," I muttered, my voice duller than I had anticipated it would be. I cleared my throat, awkwardly tugging my hand away from his and reaching over to snatch up my pen. It probably wasn't as subtle as I had been hoping, but then again, I never said I was good at subtlety. So maybe this was to be expected.

"So is there anything else we need to talk about?"

There was so much we needed to talk about. But it was pretty clear that he didn't think so. Swallowing hard, I shook my head. "No, I don't think there is." The words tasted like acid, literally causing my throat to ache, while my mind continued to scream protests. The only way to avoid future conflict between us would be talking to him about what was on my mind. The key to a healthy friendship or relationship was communication, after all. But it was hard to speak when it felt like there was a large lump in my throat.

He bit his bottom lip harshly before nodding once. "Okay, then. I should most likely head back up to my place if I want to avoid getting kicked out again, right?"

"Shawn would never do that to you, but either way, it would be a good idea." My voice sounded considerably less excited than it had when he first arrived, but he didn't seem to notice. He flashed me a halfhearted smile before standing up and striding over to my bay window. He paused for only a brief second before opening my window, climbing out onto the fire escape and silently closing it behind him.

He didn't tell me goodnight.

This bothered me much more than it probably should have.

. . .

 **A/N: So this was a bit of a filler chapter. However, I have a lot of things planned to happen next, so alas, this is the last somewhat boring chapter for awhile. Hopefully. xD**

 **Feel free to tell me what you guys think! Is there conflict brewing between Lucas and Riley? Do you think things are going to work out with Shawn and Lucas? It's awesome to hear your thoughts, you're all very amazing people! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! If we reach 150 reviews with chapter, I'm literally going to start screaming. No joke.**

 **Thanks again for reading. :D**

 **Also, don't own GMW. Too tired to think of any witty remarks to add, sigh.**


	25. Chapter 25

It was officially the day before the final middle school dance. And I was going out of my mind.

Lucas had been more distant from me than usual ever since he moved in with Uncle Shawn. I was trying not to read too much into it, but he was spending a good majority of his time with Maya, of all people. As much as I wanted to assume that I was just reading into things, I couldn't. Even Farkle was getting worried, heck, even Joshua was and he wasn't even dating her. Apparently he hadn't been expecting even more competition or however teenage boys refer to this kind of thing.

Truth be told, I hadn't been expecting this, either. Of course, I had always hoped that Maya and Lucas would become friends someday, but that was it. I only wanted them to be friends, close friends at the most, nothing more. I hadn't been expecting them to even begin to tolerate each other for a fairly long time, and I had been all right with that.

But this. I had never planned for any of this to happen.

Not only that, Missy still hadn't been in school. It felt pathetic to realize that I was actually worried about her. She hated my guts, and I was stressing out over whether or not she was okay. There was something extremely messed up about that, wasn't there? No wonder everyone tended to drift away from me after awhile.

I quickly shook my head to push the thought away, trying to refocus my attention on the homework in front of me. That was not what was going on. Lucas was going through a difficult time, and I should be happy that someone was apparently helping him through everything. Even if that person was not me.

It only took me a few more minutes before I finally gave up non my homework. None of the words I was skimming were making any sense, and it wasn't like they were exactly complex. They were simplistic little words that most third graders knew, for crying out loud. No, it was just me. I was officially going out of my mind, and nothing was going to change that until I got the answers that I apparently needed more than anything.

It felt weird, thinking something like that. Too dramatic. But honestly, it was the truth, and the truth did have a habit of coming out, anyway. No matter what we do to try to hide it. So it was better to come to these occasionally dramatic but painfully truthful realizations when I wasn't completely falling to pieces, right?

. . .

My freaky need for answers getting the best of me, I didn't quit knocking on the front door of Shawn's apartment until somebody eventually opened the dang door. It was Shawn, of course, and I held back a sigh of exasperation. Now would not be the best time to appear less than delighted at his presence. "Hi, Uncle Shawn. Would it be okay if I talked to Lucas? It'll only take a couple minutes, I promise."

He pursed his lips briefly before shaking his head. It seemed almost wary, the way he did it. "I'm sorry, kiddo. Lucas is hanging out with a friend tonight. But I can tell him you stopped by, if you want?"

"What friend?" I asked quickly, pretty much ignoring everything else that he said. I wasn't feeling like myself right now. It was hard to describe, but all I knew was that I wasn't okay. Which, as you probably know, isn't the greatest feeling in the world.

"Maya."

I bit my bottom lip roughly. I had been expecting that. But isn't it funny, how people can still get so hurt over something that they saw coming? Because right now it felt like there was a crushing weight on my chest. Again. Something I had been praying I would avoid feeling once I sorted everything out with Lucas before his dad kicked him out. But no, everything was changing again. And I figured it would inevitably change, but I had been wishing for at least a couple months of happiness before it all came crashing down yet again. "Of course," I muttered, mostly to myself. Then, speaking up, I added, "Thank you, anyways, Uncle Shawn. I need to get back home so I can finish my homework, so ... I'll see you around," I mumbled awkwardly before quickly striding away.

This was an absolute disaster. And I didn't have any clue how to handle it.

Somehow I ended back in my apartment, although I barely remembered the little trip from Shawn's place to my own. My parents were sitting at the kitchen table, my mom typing away at her laptop and my dad grading the essays we handed in this morning. It was a typical sight, something that I had learned to appreciate once Lucas came around. Not everyone had a perfect family, even I didn't. But then again, not everybody had two loving parents who would do anything for them. He had unknowingly taught me to appreciate them even more.

"Hey, honey," my mom said softly, briefly looking up from her laptop. I forced a half-smile, although it was a second too late.

I paused for a long moment, staring blankly at my parents before stumbling over to the kitchen table. Neither of them looked up again, even though I kept my gazes locked on them. Finally, after a couple minutes they both looked up, their expressions questioning. I assumed they were worrying about my sanity, considering the fact that I had been staring at them both for a couple minutes already.

"How ya doin'?" Mom asked, grinning slightly. It looked somewhat nervous to me, which I decided not to dwell on. So many people were already wondering whether or not I was stable, it was something that no longer affected me.

Swallowing hard, I reluctantly sat across from my parents. "When you guys were younger, were you ever distant from each other because of something going on in your lives? Did you ever drift towards other people, even if no one ever saw it coming?"

Mom and Dad exchanged a quick look before locking eyes with me again. "Cory, maybe you should tell her the story," my mom suggested quietly.

My dad nodded, although he still seemed rather hesitant. "Yeah, okay. So, when your mom and I were sixteen, our lives basically came crashing down." My mom went back to her frantic typing, whereas my dad set down the essays, linking his hands together tightly.

I was not liking where this was heading. "What happened?"

"Your mom and Uncle Shawn had been spending a lot of time together. I didn't understand what was going on, because whenever I did talk to either of them they insisted that nothing different or serious was happening. But one day Uncle Eric caught them together ... he saw them hugging and Shawn even pecked her on the lips."

I felt my stomach drop, and I blinked quickly. "What are you talking about? Mom and Uncle Shawn have always been friends and nothing more. Nothing would ever actually happen between them, so you have to be kidding me. He's messing with me, isn't he, Mom?"

My mom shook her head slowly. "No, it actually happened."

I felt my eyes widen, and I laughed nervously. It sounded more like a breathless exhale, though. "There's no way that's possible."

"Let me finish, sweetheart," my dad interjected gently. "Even though your mom and Shawn had been avoiding me and acting fairly distant, I confronted Shawn about it, and he said it was nothing more than a friendly kiss. After awhile I grew tired of speculating over everything, so I went to talk to your mom about it. It turns out she was hiding something, but it wasn't the type of thing I had been anticipating."

"What was it?" I was scared to death. The idea of my mom and Uncle Shawn having a thing had already completely sickened me, and it took me a moment to catch onto the parallels and why it bothered me so much. Teenagers had flings all the time, it shouldn't be such a shock to me. There was no reason to worry about anything going on between my mom and Shawn now, of course ...

It wasn't the fact that Shawn and my mom might have had a connection in high school. It was the fact that I was seeing them as Maya and Lucas - maybe it made sense, considering the fact that my mother and Shawn had been acting pretty distant from my dad. Just like how Lucas and Maya had been extremely distant from me the past few days. And then Uncle Eric caught Shawn and my mom hugging and kissing ...

I didn't want anyone I know seeing Lucas and Maya hugging and kissing. I didn't want to find out that the boy I love and my best friend had something going on behind my back. The idea of anything like that occurring literally made my stomach ache in the worst way possible. These were not butterflies. This was something far darker.

It was the beginning signs of heartbreak.

"Your mom had gotten into a disagreement with her parents," my dad explained slowly, pausing to judge my reaction. I remained impassive, so he continued. "Because they had told her that they were moving to Pittsburgh."

I glanced between both of my parents, staying completely silent for a long moment. Eventually I regained some control over my emotions and managed to remember how to speak. "You guys never told me about that."

I was being as smooth as chunky peanut butter again. Maya would be cringing if she was here at the moment.

But of course, she was not here. She hadn't been here since Lucas's father kicked him out of his house and she tagged along with him. I still hadn't gotten answers for what they were doing together, and after hearing the stories about my mom and Uncle Shawn, I wasn't sure I wanted or needed to know. I wasn't certain I couldn't deal with the answers I might end up getting.

"You never asked," my dad said simply, as if that fixed everything. They had told me the same stories over and over again, but never once mentioned that one. It seemed unjust. "Wait, is there any specific reason you're asking us about this, Riley?"

I shook my head immediately. Boy talk with my dad wouldn't help my situation in the least bit. Besides, it might be best if I kept this situation with Lucas under wraps as long as possible. "No, I was just wondering. Do you mind if I skip out on dinner tonight? I'm not really hungry."

"Riley-"

"Sorry," I interrupted my mom quickly, hopping up from my seat. "I think I'm just going to study for that upcoming science test. I'll talk to you guys later tonight," I added halfheartedly before jogging into my bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind me.

All I could think about was Shawn and my mom kissing and hugging, and how, for all I knew, Lucas and Maya could be kissing and hugging right now. All while I lingered in my bedroom by myself, too sick to my stomach to even consider eating anything.

I didn't think about the rest of my dad's story at all. Especially not the part about my mom having to move away ... because how was that going to help my situation? Nothing like that would ever occur now. Not with Lucas.

Because not all history repeats itself, right?

. . .

 **A/N: Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for the delay in updates, I temporarily lost inspiration for this story, but it's definitely back now. Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, you guys are all literally so amazing, I can't even. You're awesome! We hit 155 reviews, thank you so much! :D Do you think we could reach 160 reviews with this chapter? Maybe, possibly? Thank you again! (Yes, yes, I'm such a pushover.)**

 **Now, I know there actually weren't any Rucas moments in this chapter, but don't worry - I have lots planned for our babies! Including a couple cutesy Corpanga parallels!**

 **Also, I still do not own Girl Meets World. Ah. Some things never change.**


	26. Chapter 26

"Riley."

It had been too long since he had said my name. It still sounded the same way it always did whenever it came from his mouth - the same old hints of a country accent that he still attempted to disguise, despite the fact that pretty much everyone knew where he was from. Maya's constant nicknames had exposed that part of his past. But he had always been one of the most persistent people I had ever met - nothing could ever change that. He was still going to try to hide every little thing about his past that he could.

Even if there was someone that loved every last bit of his past. And him. A certain someone with dark brown hair and matching brown eyes with the vaguest purple circles under those eyes.

This was just a hypothetical situation, of course.

Oh, who was I kidding? No one, not even myself. I was hopelessly in love with his bot. No amount of darkness from that secretive past of his could ever change that. Not only that, neither could anything he said or did. It was still really rather terrifying to realize that I was only fourteen years old and already in too deep.

"Lucas," I said stiffly, not even bothering to turn around. I was fiddling with the lock on my locker, although I had no intention of actually opening the darn thing. That was the type of thing you could easily stereotype as a nervous habit.

Because he made me nervous. That was already very obvious, though. The awkward part was that even my younger brother was catching onto that.

I thought I heard him heave a soft sigh, but I couldn't be sure. "Why does it sound like you're angry at me?"

I snickered under my breath, still staying firmly rooted in place. "Maybe because you've been completely blowing me off recently so you could hang out with my best friend instead? But besides that, I don't know, Lucas. Hope you have fun at the school dance tonight, though."

I had never been too fond of subtlety, especially when it came to complicated situations such as this one. Besides, I was mad at him. Even he was catching onto that, the most oblivious boy in the entire universe. The boy who couldn't even realize why I was treating him so coldly.

I bet he was raising his eyebrows right about now. It seemed like I was getting too attuned to his absentminded habits. Honestly, I wasn't too sure how I felt about that. "Riley, what are you even talking about? I haven't been blowing you off at all. And Maya and I are getting closer, so what? You said you wanted us to be friends, anyway. And- why are you bringing that stupid thing up? I don't even like school dances."

I pressed my lips together tightly, trying to shrug off what he had just said. Which, by the way, was easier said than done. Not only was it extremely difficult to process, it was even harder to try to block out and keep from hurting me. I had it all planned out in my head - how he would ask me, the corsage I would wear, everything we would do together at the dance. We would be one of those cliche, overly cheesy couples that made everybody said "awh" because of how cute we were together. It was going to be perfect.

But instead, it was never going to happen.

Not only that (like that wasn't enough heartache for one afternoon), he was somehow trying to insist that he had not been blowing me off. Though he clearly was, I was fairly certain that even our silent peers were catching onto that. Shaking my head, I finally turned away from my locker, reluctantly facing him now. "You know what, Lucas? Forget it. Seriously, let's just act like nothing ever happened between us."

"Where is all of this coming from?!"

"I can't believe you haven't figured it out," I mumbled. As much as I wanted to scream and shout, it wouldn't fix the problem at all. It would only draw the attention of the kids passing us in the hallway, which was admittedly the last thing either of needed right now. "I have to get to class. Have fun with Maya tonight, then. I doubt she's going, either. Despite the fact that Farkle asked her a few weeks ago, she's been spending so much time with you I'm guessing it slipped her mind."

It wasn't a coincidence that I was casually referring to Farkle asking Maya to the dance. Although I knew how hopeless everything was, I was a sucker when it came to hope. I was worried that no amount of heartache could ever change that. Which was not exactly a good thing. Knowing my luck, it was only going to end up bringing me even more heartbreak.

Lucas paused for a long moment before shrugging simply. So, he still didn't get what I was trying to hint at. Awesome. "I'll remind her, then. But honestly, Riley, what's gotten into you? I thought everything was fine between us."

I laughed breathlessly. "You thought incorrectly," I muttered. The second warning bell rang and I abruptly brushed past Lucas, not bothering to say anything else to him. As mean as I was already starting to feel, I wanted him to be the one worrying about our little whatevership.

Because it wasn't like I could call it a relationship. We had never discussed what we were, and apparently we never would. Not when he kept blowing me off to spend all his time with my best friend, who also continued to blow me off.

Something was going on between them. Just like something had been going on between my mom and Uncle Shawn when they were teenagers. But I couldn't help but think that maybe I wasn't going to be getting my cutesy happy ending. Not as long as he couldn't even understand why I was so upset.

. . .

"There's something really important I need to talk to you about."

It was lunchtime now, and I was sitting in my usual seat in the cafeteria. By myself, of course. Farkle had started throwing himself into his studies around the time Maya and Lucas began to blow us both off, so he was almost always hanging out in the school's library. Neither of us had as much as spoken one word to us during lunchtime, so needless to say I was surprised to see my blond fireball of a best friend standing right in front of me right now.

Resisting the urge to start firing a million questions in her direction, I looked back down at my tomato soup. "Oh, so now you have time for me?"

She sighed quietly before sitting across from me, gently setting her bright red lunch tray down on the table. "Riles, come on, cut me some slack. I've been trying to do what I thought was best, are you seriously going to get annoyed at me over this?"

I raised my eyebrows, but still didn't raise my head to look at her again. "Oh. So, spending all your free time with the boy I have strong feelings for is what you thought was best?" I was coming off as meaner than I had originally planned, but I couldn't bring myself to care very much. I was starting to feel reckless, a side effect of heartache. I wished it would go away - I knew I was going to regret all of this later on. Hurting people was something I always tried to avoid, and I shouldn't be allowing my petty emotions to get the best of me like this. No matter what, I still cared about Lucas and Maya.

"Riley," Maya groaned in exasperation. She took a deep breath before reaching out, tilting my head up so I was facing her, then quickly dropping her hand. "Peaches. You know how Lucas's mom went out to California awhile back ago?"

"Yes," I mumbled, wondering where exactly she was planning on heading with this. "That's why he was living with his father instead."

Maya nodded once. "Yeah, well, another incident kind of happened recently. Around the time Ranger Rick and I started spending all that time together."

Swallowing hard, I tentatively took a small sip of my soup before gesturing for her to continue. "Yeah?"

"I mean, I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this. But I have eyes, honey, I can see how miserable you've been lately, and I'm guessing I know the reason. So, Lucas's mother called his dad's place one day and asked to talk to her son. Of course, that was sorta impossible since Mr. Drunk-o decided to kick his kid out. Needless to say, Huckleberry's mom got pretty upset."

"Really?" From the way Lucas had described his relationship with his mother, things had been kind of tense between them. Nowhere near as horrible as it was with his father, but terrible enough.

Maya nodded again, her blond hair getting in her eyes. She didn't seem to notice, though. "Uh-huh. I'm thinking she had been second guessing her decision to leave her only kid with his alcoholic father, so she had been wanting to ask him to stay with her out in California."

My chest tightened then, and it took me a minute to realize how I was feeling. Terrified. Not the typical kind of terror I was used to feeling over being in love. This was something else entirely. this was breathtaking fear of the thought of not seeing Lucas anymore. This was absolute fear over the mere thought of this boy moving away. "What?"

"Mhm. So she called Sundance one afternoon and asked him if he wanted to live with her and if he was doing all right. He admitted that he was crashing with Shawn, and he was perfectly fine with his current living conditions. His mom, however, isn't too ecstatic over the thought of her son living with some random dude she's never even heard of."

My mouth was dry, almost like I had swallowed sandpaper. I awkwardly cleared my throat before hesitantly speaking up again. "So what's going to happen?"

"We aren't sure yet. She's debating between dragging him to California, or coming out here and at least finding out whether or not Shawn is a decent guy. She's pretty caught up in work at the moment, so the odds of either of those things happening yet are pretty slim. But she still wants to come out here for his middle school graduation, and that is next week ..." she trailed off.

"Doesn't she have to request days off in advance or something like that? My mom does, at least. So that means she most likely won't be able to make it out here anytime soon." I wasn't sure who I was attempting to convince, Maya or myself.

She briefly pursed her lips. "She requested the days off a couple weeks ago. The only problem is the fact that she's debating whether or not it would be worth it. Apparently she's pretty disappointed with him, since he should be graduating from his freshman year of high school instead, you know?"

No wonder Lucas said that his relationship with his mother wasn't the greatest. It was extremely sad to realize that she was unsure of whether or not it would be worth coming out for her son's middle school graduation. Even if he did get held back once last year, she should still be proud of him. He had come so far these past few months, why couldn't either of his parents see that? It was right in front of them. It wasn't possible that either of them could be that oblivious.

Then again, that would explain where Lucas got it from.

"Oh," I murmured at last, looking back down at my tomato soup. "Do you know where Lucas is right now?"

"He said he was gonna ditch. He was mumbling some nonsense about how you two got into a disagreement over something?" She raised both eyebrows at me, but didn't press the subject. I was grateful for that; It was hard enough for me to begin to understand what was going on between Lucas and I. It would be near impossible to as much as try to explain it to Maya.

I stayed silent, although I was already thinking ahead. I knew I could always ditch and try to find him, but it seemed kind of pointless. My dad would probably end up catching me before I even made it out of the building, and then I would end up getting into trouble. He would take away my phone and computer and ground me for however long, and then I wouldn't be able to talk to Lucas at all.

Sometimes you needed to prioritize. Even if it meant that life wouldn't be going your way at the moment.

. . .

 **A/N: Hey, people! So, thank you all so much for your reviews on the last chapter! It makes my day to hear from you guys. This chapter was partially dedicated to giving you all an explanation about why Lucas and Maya were spending so much time together. In Maya's perspective, of course. But could things be different for Lucas? Is it possible that he may just have feelings for Maya Hart, of all people? Hmm.**

 **Also, shout out to AngelGirl - thank you so much for reviewing! As for your question about who I ship on the show, I ship Riley and Lucas, and Farkle and Maya. (But I also ship Corpanga, Auggie/Ava, Katy/Shawn, and Josh/Smackle. Haha.) By the way, I'm totally with you there - I just can't see Riley and Farkle together. :D**

 **Do you guys think we could reach 170 reviews with this chapter? If so, thank you very much! If not, still thank you for reading! You're all incredible people, no lie.**

 **I do not own Girl Meets World. Siiigh.**


	27. Chapter 27

"Riley, what are you-?"

"I need to see Lucas," I interrupted Shawn. Knowing me, I would most likely feel bad about how I was treating everyone later, but this was a bit of an emergency. I needed to talk to Lucas before he shut me out completely, so I was kind of in a rush. "Is he here? He has to be here. Do you mind if I come in, please? It's extremely important."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Shawn said, holding both hands up slowly. I guessed this gesture was supposed to stop me from freaking out. Which definitely was not going to be happening anytime soon. "He isn't here. In fact, I figured he would be with you or Maya. Have you talked to her?"

"How ya doin'?" Maya asked, coming up from behind me. I didn't even bother to turn around. After all, I had been the one that had begged her to join me during my search for Lucas. "As you can probably see, Ranger Rick isn't with me."

Shawn's eyebrows furrowed together tightly before he heaved a soft sigh. "There's something really important going on, right, girls? This isn't just your typical teenage love triangle, yeah? Because I don't want anything to do with that."

Maya made a gagging noise behind me, and I resisted the urge to crack a tiny smile. "Don't you know me better than that, ace? Besides, has it crossed your mind at all that I actually have a boyfriend?"

Shawn shrugged. "It's been my experience that sometimes that type of thing doesn't change anything. Seriously, though, what's going on? You both look like you've been hit by buses or something. Especially you, Riley."

"Does Shawn know about Lucas's mother?" I asked, finally spinning around to face Maya. She shook her head once, and I groaned in exasperation.

"What about Lucas's mother?" It was Shawn's usual protective tone that he only seemed to use regarding Maya or Lucas. It was beginning to occur to me that he was starting to care about him like they were his own children. Maybe they reminded him a little of himself when he was younger, considering the fact that they're both going through things that Shawn had gone through, as well. Still, I couldn't keep from thinking about what would happen if Lucas or Maya actually did have feelings for each other. What would it do to Shawn's family-like bond with them?

I couldn't even bring myself to think about that for more than a few seconds. Making sure that Lucas was all right was currently my first priority. Whether or not he had more than friends feelings for my best friend seemed totally meaningless compared to what he was going through right now. Although I knew it would crush me if he did like her, I knew I could live with it after awhile. All I wanted was for him to be happy. Maybe they could make each other happy.

I risked a quick glimpse at Shawn before looking back over at Maya. "I don't care whether or not Lucas swore you to secrecy. I need you to tell Shawn what is going on while I go find Lucas. Okay?"

She hesitated before nodding once. "Aye, aye, captain," she mumbled, sarcastically saluting me. I rolled my eyes once before striding away from Shawn's apartment, rapidly pressing the button that opened the elevator.

Somehow I knew where this boy was. But I also knew that I had to get there quick if I had any chance of catching him and making sure he was fine. Even though I was guessing that he probably was not. At the end of the day, we all were still kids. We were just teenagers. These sorts of things could still break us inside.

I didn't want him to feel broken inside.

. . .

"Why did I know you'd be here?"

Lucas shrugged, barely glancing up from his cell phone. "Kind of like how I knew you'd try to hunt me down at Shawn's place first before it occurred to you where I would really be. You know, he keeps blowing up my phone now, it's about to crash. Not only that, you honestly ought to start locking that window of yours. New York can be a scary place, sunshine."

I pressed my lips together tightly, plopping down besides him at my bay window. "And this is coming from the boy that technically broke into my apartment, of course."

"Of course," he echoed, his tone bleak. "Maya told me she was planning on telling you everything, yanno. Before I ditched school, she literally ran into me," he chuckled darkly.

I crossed my arms, already feeling defensive. Some of my unresolved anger from earlier today was unexpectedly making a return, and it was difficult to keep it under wraps. "I figured as much. I have some questions I need to ask you, by the way."

"I figured as much," he said mockingly.

What was going on with him? I was only trying to help him out. I couldn't understand why he was trying to push me away. "Lucas, why would you tell Maya about what was going on? Did you even consider talking to me about it? I could have helped you sort things out, I even could have tried to fix things between you and your mother. I could have proved to her that you would be better suited to stay with us in New York than head out to California to live with her. My parents could have explained to her what a wonderful and responsible person Shawn is. Did any of this ever cross your mind at least once, Lucas?"

He shrugged simply, seeming pretty unaffected from everything I was attempting to get through to him. "It crossed my mind, all right. Just not enough to actually consider talking to you about it."

"Why?"

Lucas exhaled, standing up abruptly and taking a few steps away from me. "You honestly wouldn't understand, Riley."

"I can easily comprehend how hard life can be, Lucas. Maybe it would have been harder last year, but everything has changed now. You've been here throughout all of it, so you should know this better than anyone. There's a specific reason why you decided to keep all of this from me, and I have to know what it is."

"You don't have to."

"Fine, I want to." I stood up then, walking over in his general direction, but pausing a couple feet away from where he lingered. "I want to be there for you, okay? I want to do that more than anything in the world. But it's kind of difficult to be there for someone who won't even seriously consider speaking to you about it."

He snickered humorlessly. "Like I said, Riley. There's no way you could understand."

"People who care about you are supposed to share stuff with you. That's practically the definition of friendship and I'm fairly certain we're both well aware of that," I said softly, dropping my arms to my sides. They hung there limply, pretty much summing up exactly how I was feeling. "Why wouldn't you tell me about this? I could have helped you. I could have fixed-"

"Some things can't be fixed, Riley," he mumbled, looking down at my floor.

"You know, Maya used to say that all the time. But look at where she is now! Her relationship with her mother is finally repaired, she has a stable father figure, a boyfriend who would walk through fire for her, and friends who love her a lot. She used to be broken, too, Lucas. But the thing you seem to be forgetting is the past tense in that statement." It was taking every last ounce of my self control not to raise my voice. I knew it wouldn't get my point across any better, and it would be idiotic to risk getting caught by either of my parents. Considering how life was going for us recently, I wouldn't be surprised if they both entered my bedroom in just a few minutes.

Lucas eventually looked back up at me, rolling his eyes. "Please, Riley. That doesn't mean she isn't broken anymore."

"You might think that, but I respectfully disagree. I know my best friend, and I can understand how she feels. Not only that, she knows to tell me what she feels so I'm not left in the dark. Why do you keep doing this, Lucas? It's like, if you had your way all the time, I wouldn't know anything about you."

The depressing fact was that I was not exaggerating. This had been crossing my mind every once in awhile, and I was finally facing up to it. Lucas repeatedly shut me out and kept certain parts of his life completely private. I used to understand that - it's hard to talk to people about subjects you're sensitive to, and you typically need awhile to work up the courage to bring it up. But he had no problem venting to Maya, someone he used to consider more of a frenemy than an actual friend.

Was it just me, then? Was I so innocent and naive that he didn't trust me to comprehend anything that was going on in his life? Maybe he thought he would have to dumb it all down to me, and didn't want to waste his time.

That hurt. A lot.

"Can't you see, Riley? If I had my way, you wouldn't know anything about me! In fact, if I had my way, you wouldn't even know me."

I flinched, literally stumbling back a little. I came to an abrupt halt when I was about to smack into my bedroom door, blinking quickly. "What?" Did he just imply that he wished he had never met me?

This was bad. This was really, really bad. No wonder I had been so terrified of falling in love. no wonder Maya's mother had advised against it for so long. It was a horrible idea to give somebody complete control of your emotions. Because, sure, they could make you feel like you were on top of the world.

But they could also make you feel like you were being buried alive underneath it.

"I'm not good, Riley, that much is obvious. Why do you think your father has never wanted you spending any time with me? I've always been a bad influence on you, and I don't see that changing anytime soon," he hissed, speaking so quickly I was struggling to keep up. "Not only that, you deserve better than being dragged into my screwed up life. If you stick around with me too long, it's inevitable that you're going to end up hurt somehow. And you do not deserve that at all, okay?"

I paused for a long moment before shaking my head slowly. "... But I'm attached."

"That's another thing. I never should have stuck around with you for so long. Like I said, you're going to end up hurt eventually and knowing me, I'm probably going to be the person that hurts you. I don't understand how exactly you got attached to somebody like me, but-"

"Shut up," I interrupted him, although my tone was surprisingly soft. "You keep implying that you're such a terrible person, but Lucas, you are not. You're one of my best friends in the entire world, and we've already been through so much together the past few months. I've learned so much from you, like-"

"Like what, Riley? Because I sincerely doubt-"

"You taught me to appreciate my parents, because not everyone has people like them in their everyday life. They don't always have people to rely on, and that was something I never even learned from Maya. You taught me that people can change, Lucas. I've been paying a lot of attention to you these past few months and you definitely are not the same person you were when you first got here. You aren't the same person you were from that morning on the subway. You've changed."

He didn't say anything, so I decided to take that as my cue to continue. "You've taught me that although falling in love can be absolutely terrifying and horrifying, it can also be worth it in the end. Because sometimes, if you're really, really lucky that person can feel the same way about you. And they can make you feel like you're alive," I said slowly. My voice was close to breaking, but I kept going. This had to be said eventually, right? It might as well be sooner than later. "Lucas, I really hope you're listening to me right now, becau-"

"I am," he muttered, barely louder than a whisper.

I smiled, not even feeling annoyed over the constant interruptions. "You're loved, okay? There are people that care about you. Maya, Farkle, Uncle Shawn, even my parents, and you damn well know that I care." I had never been one for cussing, so I was appropriately shocked when the word slipped out, but I didn't let it faze me. More serious things were currently going on. "I'm in love with you. Okay, you know how scary that is for me to say but I'm still saying it. You could have trusted me with what was going on. You didn't just have to rely on Maya. We're all here for you, Lucas."

"Riley-" he started, but cut off almost immediately. The sound of footsteps slowly approaching were growing louder and louder, and I felt my stomach drop. Despite their nonchalance whenever Maya or Farkle entered my bedroom without permission, I figured it would be different when it came to Lucas.

I spun around, my expression already the definition of the word "guilty." I didn't even need a mirror to show me what I looked like. This was one expression that was pretty much automatic. I blamed all those years of sneaking around with Maya.

The door abruptly swung open then, snapping me out of my muddled thoughts. Right there stood my father, glancing around my bedroom quickly before locking his eyes on me. "What's going on up here ... sweetheart?" he added reluctantly.

I turned around slowly, expecting to come face to face with Lucas. Instead, I only came face to face with my wall and an open window. Almost as if someone had forgotten to shut it after a hurried escape.

"Nothing," I mumbled. "Nothing at all."

. . .

 **A/N: Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews! I love hearing your thoughts, and you're all awesome. Thanks again! Also, what are your thoughts on the current conflict between Riley and Lucas? Do you think everything will inevitably work out for them, or could "Rucas" crash and burn?**

 **Pretty short A/N today - I blame the headache I have. xD Nonetheless, thank you for reading! Also, I do not own GMW. Unfortunately.**


	28. Chapter 28

"Riley, come on. It's the night of the dance, and we both know this is all you've been thinking about since the school announced we were having a dance," Maya said, her voice the tone of exasperation. I shook my head at her, not even bothering to reply, and she sighed. "Riles, I know you wanted Lucas to ask you and he didn't, but-"

"That doesn't affect me at all," I snapped, although I quickly turned my face away to keep her from seeing my expression. The absolute last thing I wanted to do was have this conversation with her right now. Especially when Lucas wasn't even responding to any of my text messages.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever you say, honey. But you can't let some boy keep you from going to your final middle school dance. Even I'm going, and you know how much I hate dances. This is one of the biggest nights of our lives, Riley!"

"I thought that was supposed to be our senior prom," I muttered, feigning disinterest.

She snickered. "Let's not be cliche, Riles. So, are you coming or are you coming? Those are your only two options, darling, because I was quite literally drag you there if it comes to that. There's no way I'm letting you stay here and mope around all night, thus causing you to regret not going for the rest of your innocent little existence."

"First of all," I interjected, raising my eyebrows slightly. "I am not moping around, nor will I ever mope around. Sometimes I just like being by myself, that's all. Second of all, I'm not as innocent as I used to be, Maya. I thought you would have realized that by now."

"You still haven't had your first kiss, have you?" she pressed, eyebrows raised mockingly. I reluctantly shook my head and she laughed lightly. "Then you're still the face of innocence, honey."

"That's not how it works!" I protested.

"It is now because I say it is."

I giggled in spite of myself. "You know, someday you're going to be an amazing mother. That's the type of thing my mom used to say to me all the time, but I think she might have outgrown it awhile back ago."

"Lucky. My mom still uses it on me daily," she mumbled, exhaling lightly before standing up and stepping away from our sacred bay window. "Come on, Riles. You know you're going to regret it if you don't come to this thing, and besides, I bet it'll be a lot of fun. It's the first school dance your father isn't chaperoning, you have to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!"

I stared at her blankly, simply crossing one leg over the other and leaning back against the window. "I sincerely doubt it. Besides, who says my dad will even let me go if he isn't chaperoning? You know how overprotective he is." There it is! There, I finally saved myself from showing up at the dance and looking like a total idiot because I would be the only girl without a date. Thank the heavens!

Maya remained unfazed, shaking her head once before reaching into her bag and pulling out a tiny sheet of paper. It took me a second to realize that it was a sticky note. "No worries, kiddo. He wrote you a note."

I sighed. "Of course he did."

. . .

"You forced me into a dress, you dragged me to the dance, what's going to be next? Setting me up with some random stranger as my date for the rest of the evening?"

Maya laughed nervously, gently patting my arm. "You wear dresses all the time, it can't be that horrible. I'm wearing one, too, and we're supposed to share these kinds of experiences, remember?"

I raised a single eyebrow at her. "Why are you acting so freaked out? Wait. You don't actually plan on setting me up with some random stranger guy, right, peaches?"

She smiled slightly, although it seemed somewhat nervous, as well. "Not exactly. Come on, let's go find Farkle. He was supposed to meet me here."

I noticed her abrupt subject change immediately, but decided not to dwell upon it. If she was planning on setting me up with somebody, I would just go home. It wouldn't be a big deal, I had my subway pass and then I wouldn't destroy the night for anyone. I doubt she would even notice whether or not I was gone, depending on how focused on Farkle she might possibly be.

The first thing I noticed when we eventually did come across Farkle was that he was talking to one of the quiet boys from our history class. I could have sworn that his name was Dave, but I couldn't be too positive. Like I said, he was one of the kids that rarely spoke and mostly kept to himself and his other quiet friends. Still, he was chatting it up with Farkle now, looking so excited that he might as well be jumping up and down with glee.

I didn't like where this was going.

"Riley, Dave, Dave, Riley," Maya introduced us in a slight rush. Matching nervous grins were lighting up Farkle and Maya's features, and while it wasn't anything new with Farkle, it was outstandingly shocking when it came to Maya. She was pretty much never nervous, and I wasn't sure how to handle this. If Maya Penelope Hart could feel nervousness, what hope did I have when it came to confronting Lucas again?

"Maya," I hissed, my voice barely even above a whisper. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Nothiiiing, honey," she trilled. "I'm just introducing you to a new friend of ours. Farkle and I were thinking-"

"You were thinking," Farkle interrupted her, although he was grinning playfully.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. I was thinking that you two could have a lot of fun tonight. You know, together. It's totally up to you guys, of course, but that's just my personal opinion. Still, neither of you have dates ..." she trailed off suggestively.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, biting my bottom lip gently. I hesitantly turned to face Dave, pressing my lips together firmly. "I'm sure you're an incredible person and you're probably really nice, but this just isn't right. I didn't even want to come here, and- and I should get home. I'm so sorry," I apologized again, before abruptly turning and walking away quickly.

I wanted to look back at Maya and Farkle, just to see their expressions (were they shocked, angry, upset?) but I resisted the urge. Some things are not meant to happen. That was one of them.

. . .

I climbed onto the subway and strode over to the pole, gripping it tightly. I didn't even bother to look around. There was no one here I wanted to see, anyway. My cheeks were still flushed from embarrassment over my abrupt departure, and that was most likely why I couldn't meet anyone's eyes. Not that anybody was even looking at me. It wasn't like I was Beyonce. I was just little Riley Matthews, too innocent for anyone to trust with the simplest things to the most difficult things.

After a few minutes I grew tired of just focusing on the silver floor, so I reluctantly looked around. Most of the people here were on their cell phones, texting, talking, checking their emails. A couple people were actually doing all three. I caught sight of a little girl tugging at her mother's dress, vying for her attention, although the mom kept her gaze fixated on the screen in front of her.

I turned away quickly, glancing around the other side of the subway. It was basically the same story with everyone here, aside from one boy who seemed to be a little older than me. It was hard to tell, though - his face was turned away from me, and he was wearing a black beanie on his head, along with a tattered leather jacket. That was all I could really make out. But there was something familiar about him I couldn't quite understand ...

Wait a minute. I knew that leather jacket.

I accidentally loosened my grip on the pole the second I put all the puzzle pieces together, shock taking over and pretty much turning me into a crazy girl. Crazier, that is.

The subway had apparently stopped for a brief second, because it had started up the instant I loosened my grip on the pole. I stumbled across the subway, nearly smashing into the wall and narrowly avoiding slamming into the people crowding that side of the subway. Eventually I managed to regain some of my balance, leaning against the wall to catch my breath.

Well. That was scary.

"Riley?"

But that was even scarier.

I glanced down at Lucas, coming to the sudden realization that I had skidded to a stop right in front of him. He was sitting where he always did, and the wall I was currently resting against was literally right next to him. Laughing nervously, I awkwardly ran a hand through my hair. I probably looked extremely disheveled, but in my defense, I did just fly across a crowded subway. That was never a fun experience.

Aside from the first two times something like this had happened, of course. Those had been very fun.

"Lucas," I muttered. It wasn't a question, though - more like a statement of fact. He was here, basically right in front of me. This was just my way of acknowledging that. "Whatcha doing here?"

He shrugged simply, biting his bottom lip. "I don't know. Maya texted me saying that you both were going to be at the school dance, so I was going to go but I walked in and pretty much changed my mind two seconds later and walked back out."

"They really aren't your thing, are they?"

"Not really. But wait, what exactly are you doing here? Like I said, Maya told me you were there, and you're all dressed up ..." he trailed off uncertainly.

I shrugged, too, hesitantly sitting besides him and crossing my legs reflexively. "I don't know. Usually I love school dances, but Maya tried to set me up from some boy from our history class and everything was awkward and- I just don't know. I had really been looking forward to this dance, but somehow that changed out of nowhere and it felt wrong to be there."

Truth be told, it felt wrong to be there without Lucas. And a long time ago my parents had taught me to always leave something if it didn't feel right. This was just me, putting another one of their seemingly endless lessons to use.

Lucas nodded, still keeping his gaze locked on me. "I get it, honestly. So, what? You're just going to go home now?"

"That's the plan, yeah."

He bit his lower lip again, harder this time. "Oh," he mumbled after a moment. He seemed disappointed somehow, which was something I definitely did not understand. "Because it's still fairly early and ... there's some things I think I want to talk to you about."

I raised my eyebrows. "Should I be scared?"

"No, but I should be," he mumbled, almost under his breath before eventually speaking up. "By the way, there's one thing I've been really wanting to do for a long time, but especially since that night in your bedroom."

When we first said we loved each other. This was already making no sense. "What is it?" I asked hesitantly.

He paused, seemingly hesitant before leaning forward and gently presses his lips against mine.

. . .

 **A/N: THEY KISSED THEY KISSED THEY FINALLY KISSED WOO *cue confetti cannon***

 **Okay, please excuse my little freak out up there. I just really like Rucas fluff, sigh. But anyway, thank you guys so much for all your reviews! It's awesome to hear from you, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave your thoughts! You guys are the best.**

 **Also, I do not own Girl Meets World. Haven't I said this, like, twenty seven times before already? It sure feels like it.**


	29. Chapter 29

I pulled away almost immediately, shock ruling my actions again. This seemed to happen a lot come to think of it. "What was that? That-that thing you just did! What did you just do?"

Lucas raised a single eyebrow, looking slightly confused. "I just kissed you, Riley. Granted, it was only for a split second because you pulled away, but ... that's still what happened."

"Since when can you do that?" I was practically screaming now, and all of the adults on the subway whose attentions had previously been fixated on their cell phones were staring at me like I was a lunatic. And maybe I was. The boy I loved just kissed me, and I yanked back within no time at all. Not only that, I was basically having a panic attack over this. Maybe I had less sanity than I had thought.

"Since when am I not allowed to?" he retaliated, although he was grinning slightly. "Come on, it isn't like that was your first kiss or anything. You dated Farkle for a couple months, didn't you?"

Here comes embarrassing. "We never kissed, Lucas. So, yes, actually, you were my first kiss and- you know what, you can't just kiss a girl like that!" So I was trying to change the subject as subtly as possible, and failing miserably. Why was I not even surprised?

He paused for a long moment before eventually smirking slightly. "I was really your first kiss? Seriously? You honestly aren't just saying that for my benefit, are you?"

I stared at him blankly, fleetingly pursing my lips. "Why in the world would I embarrass myself for your benefit, Lucas Friar?" I asked at last, my voice as dull as my mood. I supposed I should be elated - the guy I was hopelessly in love with had just kissed me, after all. But the only emotion I could bring myself to feel was helplessness. Almost as if I had no idea what was going on. Which, coincidentally enough, I did not. In a way, maybe Lucas had a good reason for keeping things from me - this situation was most likely painfully simple, and I was still confused as heck. Yeah, it was definitely making sense to me now.

He laughed lightly, seeming about one hundred times happier now. "I don't know, but I'm kind of the type of person to assume the worst. But you know, I guess this is sort of fair."

"Fair?" I questioned.

Lucas nodded. "Mhm. Fair as in, you were my first kiss, too. It isn't such a huge confidence booster that I initiated it and you retreated within a second and a half, but hey, I'll take what I can get, sunshine."

I raised my eyebrows reflexively. "How is that even humanly possible? You're older than me, and I'm sure you dated loads of girls back in Texas. Didn't you?"

This time, Lucas stared at me blankly. "Thanks, Riley. No, really, it means everything to me that you think that highly of me. It's an absolute honor that you consider me the kind of boy to date a million or so girls, right?"

I shook my head immediately, my cheeks flaming from embarrassment. "That isn't what I meant and you know it. But you are still older than me, so you can't exactly feel offended that I assumed you already had your first kiss and girlfriend and all of that stuff. Most people your age have, right?"

He shook his head, although it seemed playful now. "You're adorable, Riley Matthews. But yeah, I guess most people my age have already done that type of thing, but I haven't. I was never really interested in anyone until I met you."

I bit my bottom lip lightly to hide a smile. After all, I was still trying to process what exactly had just happened between us. I opened my mouth to respond, but the subway came to another abrupt halt and I smiled apologetically. "This is my stop. Hey, you should come with me!" I suggested, a little louder than I had intended. Several adults turned to stare at us again before seemingly shrugging it over. I blushed scarlet, ducking my head so my hair would cascade in front of my face. There was no need to allow Lucas to see me resembling a bright red tomato.

"You're cute when you blush," he remarked, and I could almost picture his smirk right now. I blushed darker, and he chuckled. "But yeah, okay. I'd love to go with you. There's no place else I'd rather be. But also- it's my stop, too, if you recall. We're living in the same apartment building, sunshine."

Well, now I looked more like a raspberry than a tomato. Why was I blushing so much around him recently? Reluctantly snapping my head up, I grinned sheepishly. "It might have slipped my mind. But come on, then, unless you want to end up in Chinatown."

"I didn't even know New York had a Chinatown."

"Doesn't everywhere?"

. . .

"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked Lucas, grasping his wrist and quickly tugging him back. We were walking up to the apartment building, but he had taken an abrupt detour, and was apparently planning on heading to the fire escape that led up to my bay window instead.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "I like to live dangerously."

I sighed quietly. "You're still a troublemaker at heart, aren't you?"

He smiled dryly, hints of mischief in his bright green eyes. "Always have been, always will be." Lucas pulled out of my light grip, flashing me a crooked smile before heading back over to the fire escape. I rolled my eyes at him, but decided that he had already made up his mind. Nothing I said or did was going to change his mind, so I might as well continue my original plans of living like a normal person and just using the front door.

. . .

"Well, it's official," I muttered, striding into my bedroom and instantly plopping down on my bed." My parents think I've lost my mind. And you're honestly the only person I can blame."

Lucas smirked, hopping up from my bay window and walking over to my bed. He didn't sit down, though, simply hesitating a couple feet away from me. "I kind of overheard. You sounded pretty eager to go up to your room, so I'm not surprised they were so suspicious. Also, no offense, but your excuses about why you decided to ditch the dance were sort of lame."

"Shut up."

He laughed lightly, loud enough for only the two of us to hear. "You get pretty feisty sometimes, don't you, sunshine? Don't worry, though, I find it endearing. Then again, everything you do is adorable so that isn't too big of a shocker, either."

"Enough with the compliments. I'm tired of resembling basically every kind of red fruit that there is," I said, grinning sarcastically before continuing. "Is there any actual reason you decided to climb in through my bay window, or do you just like risking being murdered by my father?"

"Both," he answered automatically. He paused for a second, hesitating again before sitting besides me on my bed. "I know you're probably still wondering about why I poured my heart out to your best friend instead of you, right?"

I wasn't a huge fan of the reminder. Maybe that was why my sarcastic mood increased by roughly two thousand and twelve percent. "No duh, Sherlock. Are you ever going to give me a real explanation for that, or will we keep on playing guessing games until I'm in my eighties?"

"Someone's in a bad mood," he said tauntingly. Noticing the lack of amusement in my expression, he awkwardly cleared his throat. "Yeah, okay. Sorry. So, you have to promise you won't get mad at me, all right?"

"We'll see. Just spill it, Lucas."

He bit his lower lip hard before finally sighing. "Okay, okay. I didn't want to scare you away, I guess. There's already so much I've told you that hasn't been exactly good, the kinds of things that typically cause people to run away screaming. You were always understanding and accepting, even when I probably didn't deserve it, but I knew it was only a matter of time until it became too much for you. One of these days I was going to reveal one thing too many about my crappy life, and you were going to run away to Jamaica or something, desperate to find some way to forget about your screwed up ex-friend."

"Lucas, that's absolutely insane." Well, I was beginning to speak my mind more and more these days, and this was one of those times.

"Maybe it is, but it also kind of makes sense if you think about it. Look at it from my perspective, sunshine - the two people that literally gave me life can't stand me. Wouldn't you feel a bit paranoid of losing people if your two 'creators' despised you?"

I pressed my lips together tightly, his flawless logic rendering me speechless for a moment. I eventually recovered, swallowing hard. "Okay. Maybe I can see your point. If my parents were anything like that"-it was a lot more depressing to envision my parents pretty much wanting me than I cared to admit-"I would be the same exact way. But you know me, Lucas. You should have been able to trust me."

"Sometimes I guess it's easier to open up to people that have been through similar things. You assume they'll understand more than anybody, and sometimes they do. Maya is a great friend, but she's suffering through her own stuff, too. I shouldn't have dumped it all on her, either."

My eyebrows furrowed. "You're telling me this because ...?"

"I'm telling you this because you're my best friend, Riley. Not only that, you're already well-aware of how I feel about you."

"I am?" I asked, accidentally letting doubt color my tone.

Lucas caught on fairly quickly, and gently grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. "I'm in love with you. Haven't I mentioned this a couple times before, sunshine?"

I smiled slightly, hesitantly glancing over at him. He was a lot closer than I had anticipated, and I felt my eyes widen slightly. There were only a few inches between us, our lips almost brushing. Needless to say, it was positively terrifying. "I believe so," I murmured once I had remembered how exactly one speaks.

Lucas chuckled lightly. "I'm more afraid of scaring you away than I am of scaring Maya away. She's my friend now, obviously, but you're the girl I love. It's a lot more risky to tell you everything, because if you leave ... if you leave me, then I'll be afraid of everything."

I frowned immediately. "I would never leave."

"You can't be completely positive about that, Riley. The future is totally unpredictable, and anything in the whole world is possible. You could meet someone new, you could finally get sick and tired of my endless sob stories, you could-"

"Lucas?"

He exhaled quietly. "Yes?"

"Shut up," I repeated, leaning towards him and hesitating for only the briefest of seconds before pressing my lips against his.

. . .

 **A/N: So this is the second chapter I've ended with a Rucas kiss, and I'm pretty much crying my eyes out because we hit 180+ reviews. In other news, you guys are amazing! Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting. I still have a lot planned for this story, and I can't wait to hear your reactions. :D Feel free to leave your opinion on this chapter! It's still pretty awesome to hear from all of you!**

 **Also, Girl Meets World, still do not own it. Sigh.**


	30. Chapter 30

"I think I like it when you decide to shut me up."

I rolled my eyes at him, although I couldn't keep my cheeks from flaming with embarrassment again. This whole blushing habit was really beginning to get on my nerves. "Shut up," I repeated, ducking my head nervously. I had just pulled away from him again, even though I initiated the kiss this time. This one lasted longer than the first one, of course.

A lot longer.

"Aw, I don't think you can really make me, sunshine," he teased. "Well, there is one certain way you can. I believe you remember it? In fact, you did just do it a few minutes ago."

I smiled innocently, playfully shaking my head. "Not happening, buddy. Besides, there's some other things we need to talk about first. Like what's going on with your mother? Maya told me a few things earlier today, but I feel like there might have been a couple details she was leaving out on purpose. I'm guessing she did that to try to get me to talk to you. She's been quite the little matchmaker lately."

Lucas chuckled, nodding to himself. "Yeah, I've noticed that. Um, she's debating on whether or not she wants to come to my middle school graduation. She already took the days off and everything, but she isn't sure whether or not it's really worth it. I think she's still upset with me for getting kicked out of school and being held back a year and all of that fun stuff."

I furrowed my eyebrows together tightly. "But that's completely insane. You've come really far since you got kicked out of school and held back. Wouldn't it make more sense for her to be proud of you instead of-"

"Disappointed?" he interjected, smiling dryly. "It makes sense to you, yeah. But I'm not the kind of person to believe in people the way you do, sunshine. I love that about you, honestly, but that isn't who I am. It's just another one of our million differences."

I bit my bottom lip gently. "I understand that we're different that way and sure, that isn't who you are. But that's who I am, Lucas. Can you at least let me attempt to talk some sense into your mother, please? You never know, if I use the right words I might possibly convince her to come out here and see how much you have changed for the better. Then she'll be proud of you and not only that, she can meet Shawn and see what a great guy he is. You can keep living out here in New York without having to worry! Doesn't that sound nice?"

He smiled slightly, and it actually seemed somewhat sincere. "Riley, that sounds amazing but life doesn't always work out that way. If my mother were to come out to New York again, she would drag me with her to California. That's how my life works."

I shook my head. "You never know, if she could just meet Shawn then-"

"I don't really want my parents anywhere near Shawn, Riley. Or you, for that matter. Or even Farkle, Maya, and your parents. They're the type of people that destroy things, haven't you seen enough of that with my supposed father? I don't want them ruining anything involving any of you guys."

I pursed my lips briefly, thinking something over fleetingly. "Lucas-" I stared, although I quickly cut off when I heard soft footsteps approaching my bedroom door. We both froze, keeping our gazes locked on the door. If it was my father, we were both dead, there was no doubt about that. He would assume the absolute worst scenario possible and turn into some sort of serial killer. And I was not prepared to live this world without fixing things between Lucas and his mother.

The door swung open and I flinched back reflexively, although I relaxed one I realized who it was. "Auggie," I breathed, my voice shaking with relief. "I'm so happy that it's you. Come on, get inside before Mommy and Daddy come looking for you."

My little brother paused, glancing between Lucas and I repeatedly shrugging to himself, stepping inside and quietly shutting my door behind himself. "What's Lucas doing here, Riley? Does Daddy know he's here?"

This kid pretty much owned me now. There was no doubt about it, I was about to become his slave for life or something. "No, and Mom doesn't know, either. Auggie, please don't tell them, okay?"

Auggie looked back over at Lucas before exhaling, climbing onto my bed and shoving himself between us. "Riley didn't ask my first question, so now I have to ask you."

"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. I couldn't believe he was acting so calm. Meanwhile, I was basically having a heart attack and I was fairly certain it was obvious. Still, he was acting like he didn't have a single care in the entire world.

I guess he did like to live dangerously.

Auggie nodded, keeping his eyes locked on Lucas. "What are you doing here? I thought only Maya was allowed to come through the window. And sometimes Farkle when he needs a therapy session, but that was a really long time ago."

Lucas shot me a confused look and I waved my hand dismissively. "Long story," I silently mouthed.

He nodded once before turning back to face my little brother. "I'm here because I like talking to your big sister. She's very amazing and she's my best friend, so we talk about that. I'm guessing you can understand that, right, bud? You have a best friend, don't you?"

Auggie nodded warily. "Aaaavaaaa Mooorrrgeeeensteeerrrn!" he sang, finally cracking a wide smile.

Lucas laughed lightly, ruffling Auggie's hair. "Exactly. If you could find some way to talk to her whenever you wanted to, you would do it, wouldn't you? Even if it meant risking pretty much everything there is to risk."

"What about texting?" he asked, eyebrows suddenly furrowing.

Lucas and I both cringed, but he recovered first. "Talking face to face, I mean. Texting can be fun, but it still can't compare to actually looking at someone and being able to be near them. That makes sense, don't you think?"

Auggie reluctantly nodded again. "It does. But why can't Mommy and Daddy know? Wouldn't they understand, too?"

I blushed crimson, imagining what our parents would assume if they knew about Lucas's habit of sneaking into my bedroom at night. It wouldn't be pretty, not at all. "They think it's a waste of time for Lucas to come here instead of just texting me," I lied fluently. Good thing I had a great bad influence - thanks, Maya. "We disagree, obviously, but we don't want to get into a fight with Mom and Dad because we want everybody to be happy. You want everyone to be happy, too, right?"

Auggie nodded yet again, finally starting to vaguely resemble a bobble head. "Yeah, I do. Okay, I'll keep your little secret. But is it okay if I hang out with you guys sometimes?"

"Anytime you want," Lucas said, smiling slightly. I was kind of surprised - I had been worried that he might have said no, but apparently, people were not as predictable as I thought they were.

"Yay!" Auggie yelped before turning to face me, his lower lip abruptly sticking out in the slightest of pouts. "Riley, I sound like you now."

I patted his head reassuringly. "No, you do not. Don't worry."

Auggie leaned towards me, almost climbing into his lap so he could whisper in my ear. "Riiileyyy, I still think your friend loves you."

"I think so, too," I whispered back softly, winking once at Lucas before leaning away from Auggie. I opened my mouth to say something else, but clamped it shut almost immediately when I heard footsteps approaching yet again. This time, we all winced, knowing that the only people it could be were my parents. Lucas flashed me a brief smile before shooting over to the bay window, yanking it open and climbing out onto the fire escape. I laughed breathlessly, standing up and shutting the window right before my door opened yet again.

"Riley? Auggie?" my dad asked, glancing between us frantically. I bit my bottom lip hard, praying that Auggie would stay true to his word and not say anything about Lucas's frequent visits.

Fortunately, my younger brother just shot my dad a brief grin. "Nothing, Daddy. I was just asking Riley if she wanted to color with me but she said she wanted to focus on her homework so will you color with me?"

"Homework," my dad murmured, before nodding in approval. "Okay, have fun, snookums. And of course, Aug, I would love to. Come on," he added, gently taking my brother's hand nad leading him out of my bedroom. Right before Auggie had turned the corner he winked at me, mouthing "I own you guys now."

Well, that was sure to be fun.

I closed my door once they left, breathing a silent sigh of relief before looking around my bedroom fleetingly. Everything was still in place, thank goodness, so there was no actual evidence that proved Lucas had been there at all. I strode back over to my bay window again, opening it warily so I could get some fresh air. This had been a close call, and those kinds of things usually managed to freak a kid like me out to the point of on return. I glanced outside, just to catch sight of something black and rectangular resting on the fire escape. I reached outside, snatching it up so I could get a better look at it.

It took me about two seconds and twenty nanoseconds to realize that it was Lucas's cell phone. Against my better instincts, I hesitantly pressed the power button, turning it on. The lock screen was a photo of Lucas and Maya, and I felt another irrational pang of jealousy. There was nothing to feel envious over, they were just friends, after all. There was absolutely no reason for me to stress out over a simple little picture. Still I unlocked the phone, surprised when it didn't request a password. I always assumed Lucas was the type of boy to have twenty different passwords to keep people out of his cell phone.

His phone's wallpaper was a photo of himself, Maya, Farkle and I, which made me feel a tad bit better. He was really into friendships, that's all. Apparently Lucas and I were not just friends, so that's the only reason it was a 'Lucaya' photo instead of 'Rucas.'

(In my defense, Joshua was the one that came up with the nicknames for us.)

I brought up his contacts, acting on my instincts instead of my thoughts. This was probably one of those things I was inevitably going to end up regretting, but I couldn't bring myself to worry about that at the moment. I knew this was still the right thing to do, even if it meant Lucas was going to be irritated at me for a little while. He would get over it, everyone could finally be happy and then we could officially become something way more than just friends who occasionally kissed. All of that sounded positively perfect, which I suppose is what motivated me to hit the "Call" icon when I reached the contact labelled "Mom."

She answered after a few rings. "Lucas?" she asked, the annoyance in her tone very evident.

I swallowed hard, wondering whether or not she was like this every single time she spoke to him. It wouldn't really matter soon enough, though. I would fix everything right up and Lucas could finally have a good relationship with one of his parents. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not Lucas, Miss."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm Riley Matthews. And there's a couple things I want to talk to you about."

. . .

 **A/N: YOU GUYS ARE SO AMAZING. We currently have 195 reviews! I cannot believe that, you all are so awesome. Thank you so much for reviewing. We're so close to 200, and it's completely unbelievable.**

 **Feel free to leave your opinions on this chapter! There was a bit of a close call with Lucas and Riley, hmm. I wonder if Cory or Topanga actually will catch them one of these days ... hey, I guess only time will tell. Thoughts on Riley calling Lucas's mother? Thoughts on Auggie? Thoughts on Lucaya being Lucas's lock screen photo? Thoughts on anything at all? It's great to hear from you guys. I love you all so much, and I'm so lucky to have such incredible readers. Thank you.**

 **Also, I don't own Girl Meets World. If I did ... well, Texas would have aired by now.**


	31. Chapter 31

I pressed my lips together tightly, rocking back and forth on my heels as I looked around the halls of Josh Quincy Adams Middle School. It was really terrifying that I was only going to be here for a few more days and then I would officially graduate from middle school. It was something I had been dreaming of for months. Finally, people were going to take me seriously because I was going to be one of those ninth grade women. It was pretty much a dream come true.

So why was I dreading it so much? This was unnatural. Unheard of.

Then again, maybe that was not the only thing I was dreading at the moment. Last night, I had somehow managed to work up the courage to call Lucas's mother when he accidentally left his cell phone on my fire escape during his little escape. I knew he was probably going to be really angry at me, especially when I told him I had convinced his mother to come out for his middle school graduation. But I knew that in the end, he would be really happy. Everyone deserved to have a nice relationship with at least one of their parents. His mom seemed to be far more coherent than his father.

Besides, you can't blame a girl for trying.

"You left your cell phone last night," I said the instant I saw Lucas in the halls, holding it out expectantly. He flashed me a grateful smile, reaching over and cautiously accepting it. I forced a weak smile, rocking back and forth on my heels again nervously. I knew he was going to be mad at me, that much was inevitable. In that way, he was exactly like Maya. She had gotten really mad at me when I tried to fix her relationship with her mother last year, during the art showcase. Turns out that job was made for Shawn Hunter, and only Shawn Hunter. This job, however, was made for me. Riley Matthews, who was going to officially be a ninth grade woman in no time at all. Someone that people could look up for, and not just because of my height.

Lucas raised his eyebrows at me, sliding his cell phone into his jeans pocket. "You're acting different. Is everything all right, sunshine?"

I smiled awkwardly, fleetingly glancing down at the ground before looking back up at him. "Why would you assume nothing was all right? Everything is perfectly fine, Lucas. I don't have a worry in the world." Okay, so maybe I was overdoing it. Just a bit, that is. I had never been as smooth as Maya, so it was no real surprise I was acting like such a lunatic right now. I was only hoping -no, praying- that Lucas would not catch on. Not right away, at least. It would be totally okay if it all sank in once we were already in my father's classroom. That way, he would be less likely to call me on it, in fear of having to face my father's psychotic wrath.

Because it does not matter if you have been kicked out of school or not. One does not simply wish to deal with an overprotective father. Even boys who wear tattered leather jackets and have terrible relationships with their parents.

He raised his eyebrows at me again, but fortunately decided not to comment on it, instead gesturing to my father's classroom. "Heading to class?"

"Thought I would, you?" I asked, smiling slightly. He nodded and I quickly walked towards my dad's classroom, breathing a silent sigh of relief. He didn't seem too freaked out by my behavior, so maybe I could keep this under wraps for a little while longer. In fact, I might as well try to keep it a secret until graduation next week. That way, it will come as a total surprise to Lucas and maybe he won't even be mad at me. If I can fix things between Lucas and his mom, while convincing her that Shawn is an amazing person and Lucas ought to continue living with him, everything would be perfectly fine. No more worries for any of us.

Excluding my personal issues with Lucas and Maya's "friendship," of course. But that wasn't important right now.

. . .

Lunch time was a bit of a mess. Lucas, Maya, Farkle and I all sat together again, but things were still a tad bit tense. Farkle and Maya had no idea about what happened between Lucas and I last night and I was planning on keeping it that way. The fewer people that knew, it wasn't as possible my father would somehow find out. Although I obviously trusted Maya and Farkle, it was as if he had superhuman hearing whenever I said anything that involved Lucas. For my luck, if I filled either of them in on everything that occurred while we were still within the school (or anywhere near my apartment building, that is) he would overhear. And I did not want him exploding into a million tiny pieces, thank you very much.

Maya and Lucas sat across from Farkle and I, which was, needless to say, a bit strange. Typically Lucas and I sat on one side, and Maya and Farkle sat on the other side. That was how our seating arrangements had always been, unless one of us were not present. It seemed really weird that was suddenly changing, literally out of nowhere. And I wasn't the only person that thought that way - even Farkle seemed confused.

After a couple moments of awkward silence, I finally cleared my throat softly. "So," I started, looking between Lucas and Maya. "What's going on with everybody? Anything interesting?"

Maya shrugged simply, looking down at her bright red lunch tray. Geralyn had piled it high with mashed potatoes, although it was looking like Maya didn't have much of an appetite today. "Nothing. My mom and Shawn got into an argument last night, so now they aren't speaking to each other. but how is everything going for you in Rileytown?"

"Rileytown, huh," Missy trilled, coming up from behind me. I laced my fingers together, not even bothering to glance up at her. "That's a funny way to describe your friend's undeniable insanity, Moesha."

"It's Maya," she said tightly. "What are you doing here, Missy? You haven't been anywhere near this school for a pretty long time."

I could practically feel her shrugging. I still didn't bother to face her, instead trying to comprehend what Maya had just told me. Shawn and Katy getting into a disagreement? It seemed completely impossible. I always assumed they really cared about each other and would be the next Cory and Topanga. Uncle Shawn had always wanted a relationship like theirs, after all - so what exactly was going on?

"None of your business, actually. I'm glad to see someone actually noticed, though," she murmured the last part under her breath, barely audible enough for me to hear her. Which was saying something, considering the fact that she was standing right behind me. "I wanted to talk to Riley."

I snapped my head up at that, my confusion probably very clear. "Huh?"

Missy rolled her eyes, twirling a strand of her perfectly straight hair with her pointer finger. "Mhm. Do you think I could take one little minute out of your precious time, Riley Matthews? Or will it be too much of a trouble for you?"

I ignored her sarcastic remarks, quickly standing up an flashing my friends a hesitant smile. "I'll be right back, guys," I said softly, pleased that my nervousness was not displayed in my voice. I wasn't even shaking at all, and neither was my voice. It was a last-week-of-school-miracle. Or just a miracle in general, depending on how you want to look at it.

Missy latched onto my left wrist, practically dragging me out of the cafeteria and outside. Barely anyone was outside, since most teenagers preferred eating inside. Especially since it had been so overcast lately. In fact, it looked like it was about to start pouring down rain right now. She released my wrist once we were about seven feet away from the school, crossing her arms defensively. "Ask me what I want."

I sighed. "I'll play along. What exactly do you want, Missy?"

"Aside from everything you have?" she asked, delicately raising a single eyebrow. She continued before I could question her on what she meant. "I want you to stay away from Lucas."

I shook my head immediately. "No. I'm sorry, but that isn't going to happen, Missy. Lucas is one of my closest friends and we care about each other a lot. I'm not going to let something like that go to waste just because you want me to."

She smiled humorlessly, glancing around before locking her gaze on me again. "I figured you would say that, Riley. But I have one question for me, and you're going to answer honestly. Even if you don't, I'll figure out the real. Everyone is fairly predictable and easy to read, Riley. You are no exception to that."

"Ask away," I muttered, making sure to keep my voice steady. There was no reason for her to see how worried I was on the inside.

"Would you still say that if there actually was something going on between Lucas and your other friend, the blond rebel?"

"Maya," I barely breathed her name, already feeling like there was a rock or basically anything similar lodged in my throat. She was most likely just trying to get to me, but her words already hit a nerve. "Do you know something that I don't?"

"I wish I could say that I did, but no, not really. Aside from the fact that they have no personal space around each other, especially these days. But you had noticed that already. Hadn't you, darling?" Her voice was sickly sweet, and that was when I knew for sure that she was trying to get to me or hurt me. Possibly both. But I had a little bit of my mother in me, too - I wasn't going to let her walk all over me like this without at least fighting back.

"I'm not blind, Missy. It's clear as day that they're close friends, but that is honestly all they are. They're no different from Maya and I, or me and Farkle. Why are you even bringing this up, anyway? You're Missy Bradford, I would assume that you have better things to do than try to make my life absolutely miserable."

Missy smiled coyly, twirling her hair around her finger yet again. "Typically I do, but today has been an off day. Seriously, Riley, you aren't exactly subtle. I can see that you have feelings for Lucas, everybody can. Are you really going to let him spend all this time with another girl? A girl who is, by the way, your best friend in the entire universe?"

"Stop it."

"Hitting a couple nerves, am I? That's certainly not my intention. I'm simply trying to be a good friend, of course. You needed to hear this from someone, it might as well be me."

I shook my head at her again, awkwardly clearing my throat. The painful lump in my throat was only getting worse, but I was planning on pushing through it. I wasn't going to let her see how much she was hurting me. "We aren't friends, Missy, and that is something I'm sure we're both well aware of. But now, I have a question for you. And you're going to answer truthfully."

She smirked, biting her lower lip gently before responding. "Shoot."

"What made you this way? It isn't like anyone is just born bitter, not even you. I know there must have been something that turned you into this type of person. I want to know what it is, and I want to know now. I also want to know why you're allowing it to get into your system and turn you into this kind of person. This isn't who you are deep down inside, and it depresses me to see someone who has so much potential to make the world a better place use their power for evil instead of good. Aren't you better than this, Missy?"

Her confident expression faltered right away, and she pressed her lips together firmly. "That is none of your concern."

"Actually, it became my concern the second you decided to start picking on me. Missy, what is it that made you this way?"

She stared at me for a long moment before reluctantly looking down at the ground. "My father- he doesn't really-"

"Riley, what's going on?"

We both jerked our heads up in the general direction of where the voice came from. A sudden roar of thunder caused us both to jump reflexively, and I felt my cheeks flame. Great, because nothing was anywhere near as exciting as blushing in front of Missy Bradford.

She shot me another brief look that resembled ... sadness? Before she turning around and walking away, actually brushing past Lucas without saying a single word. She hesitated in front of the school, glancing back at the both of us before stepping inside, shutting the door right behind herself.

Lucas caught up to where I was somewhat quickly, his eyebrows furrowed together tightly. "Did she say or do anything to hurt you? Because if she did, we can go to the principal right now. Bullying apparently is not tolerated in this school, remember?"

"No," I said quietly. Although her sharp words did hurt, what she was saying was actually true. Weren't they all the same exact things that had been running wild in my head recently? Besides. it was obvious that she already had enough problems, apparently with her father. I didn't want to make things worse for her than they already were.

He stared at me for a long moment, clearly not believing me, but another thunderous roar fortunately kept him from pressing the subject. The rain was already drizzling, although I could tell it was just about to pick up to the point where it might just qualify as flash flooding. "Come on, we better get inside before we get completely drenched."

I paused thoughtfully before reaching up, grabbing the collar of his shirt and tugging him down to my height. "Wait a minute there, mister. There's one little thing I've been wanting to do since I was a kid."

Lucas raised his eyes, amused. "And what might that be, my little ray of sunshine? You are planning on telling me, aren't you?"

The rain was already picking up, becoming a steady downpour, but I remained unfazed. "I think I'll just show you instead," I said softly, my voice barely audible over the loud claps of thunder.

"Will you?" His tone was playfully doubtful, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He was such a guy.

I smiled innocently instead, nodding once. "Of course," I whispered before standing up a bit taller, pulling him closer to me before pressing my lips against his softly.

We did end up getting completely drenched, obviously.

Not that either of us really cared very much.

. . .

 **A/N: AWW YAY CLICHE RUCAS KISS IN THE RAIN** ** _AW AW AW_**

 **Okay, fangirl moment over. In other news, I seriously cannot believe how amazing you guys are! WE HIT OVER 200 REVIEWS I AM SCREECHING! I'm so happy and lucky to have reviewers who are as incredible as you guys. Thank you so much for being such wonderful people. You've motivated me to continue writing this story, even when things are getting tough. I cannot thank you enough for that.**

 **Now, in spirit of my new long A/N craze, I do have a couple questions for you guys! What are your thoughts on the recent developments in this story? Such as, Riley keeping her phone call with his mom a secret? Lucas and Maya's growing friendship? Riley's encounter with Missy, and Missy's almost confession? Shawn and Katy getting into an argument? (Okay, maybe more than a couple questions.) All of these things will be tying in with the growth of Riley's** ** _friendship_** **(and possible relationship) with Lucas, and the things they will be going through. I actually have some stuff planned, and I'm excited for you guys to see it play out.**

 **Okay, I better go before this is longer than the chapter itself. Thank you so much for everything, you all rock!**


	32. Chapter 32

"What are we?"

It was the day before we graduated from middle school. Lucas had climbed into my bedroom through my bay window again. Mostly because I texted him earlier telling him I couldn't sleep. He had been here within no time at all, and we had been talking ever since.

And occasionally kissing. But I'm not the type of person to kiss and tell. Usually, that is.

He raised his eyebrows, his face barely illuminated by the small amounts of moonlight streaming into my window. Some of the New York city lights were flashing vaguely in the distance, but not enough for provide either of us very much light. "What do you mean?"

I exhaled, trying not to let my nerves show. "We act like a couple, we've kissed and you told me you love me and I said it back. I know I'm a little new at this whole relationship thing, but I know those things have to mean something. I want to know what it means for us. I need to know if it's the same thing to you that it is to me, because if it isn't, we might as well back out of this before either of us can get hurt."

Lucas smiled slightly, biting his bottom lip gently before responding. "No matter what title we give it, I'm still yours, Riley. Nothing could ever change that. Call it whatever you like - this will still be my truth."

I'm guessing that meant we were somewhat official. Boys still confused the heck out of me, and Lucas Friar was no exception to that, but I would take what I could get eleven-thirty at night. "That's good enough for me. But you should probably get back to Shawn's place, it's really late and we have to graduate in pretty much no time at all."

"Isn't that funny? It's still always referred to as Shawn's place. Because it isn't my home - it's his."

I furrowed my eyebrows together tightly, some of my previous confusion making an unwelcome comeback. "What are you talking about?"

Lucas shook his head quickly, forcing a small smile. "Nothing, sunshine. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to you in the morning," he added softly, gently kissing my forehead before slipping out the window. I paused for a long moment, staring out the window even after he was gone. Finally I regained a bit of my sense, reaching over and quietly closing the window before standing up and stumbling over to my bed. I plopped down on the edge, Lucas's words already running wild in my head.

Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.

. . .

"We're going to be ninth grade women now!" I trilled to Maya, practically hopping up and down from excitement. I was starting to feel a lot more like me, excited and bubbly like I had been back in seventh grade. My best friend was watching me with an amused expression on her face, although she kept unusually quiet, occasionally glancing around the halls before reluctantly resting her gaze on me again. I didn't comment on her strange behavior, though, too caught up in my nerves and excitement to even think of much else.

"Hey, Ranger Rick," Maya said after a minute, peering around me. I spun around instinctively, my face brightening up even more when I saw Lucas standing right behind me. He flashed me a brief smile before stepping past me, standing closer to Maya now. My shoulder slumped slightly, but I kept the grin plastered on my face, not wanting to alarm anybody.

"Maya," he greeted, smirking. "You know, I figured you might give up on all those juvenile nicknames now that you're going to officially be a middle school graduate. You really want to be known as the girl that teased everyone once you leave this place?"

She shrugged, smiling playfully."I honestly don't care about what people think of me, Huckleberry. Besides, I happen to think that these nicknames are extremely clever, so who wouldn't want to be known for them?"

They kept up their banter, causing me to basically blend in with the background. I took a couple steps away from them, looking around the hallways pointlessly. My smile had finally faded away, and I found myself biting down roughly on my lower lip to remain impassive. If some magical miracle occurred and someone actually noticed how I was feeling, I didn't want them to guess the reason why. It was horrible enough that Missy seemed to notice that there might be something going on between Lucas and Maya. It would be unbearable if anyone else began to suspect the same exact thing she did, and even I did.

"I know how you're feeling, you know."

I turned around reluctantly, forcing a half-smile when I saw Farkle. "What are you talking about?" I asked innocently, deciding to play dumb. If I acted this way, maybe he would be afraid of hurting my supposedly happy mood and let the subject go. It sounded like the sort of thing he would do, after all. And maybe I was acting a little selfish, doing this. Farkle and I had always been good friends, and we could probably help each other cope with whatever this situation was. But it wasn't help that I needed or wanted - it was reassurance. I was getting sick and tired of mixed signals from Lucas, and I wasn't sure how to deal with it. Even after our conversation last night, I still felt weird. What if he hadn't meant a single thing that he said?

Farkle rolled his eyes, leaning against the row of lockers behind him. "You can't exactly fool me, Riley. How you've been feeling recently is fairly obvious. But maybe that's just because I've been feeling the same way."

I pressed my lips together tightly, giving up on faking a smile. It was no use, anyway. He could see right through me. "Has Maya been giving you mixed signals?"

He paused, before nodding once. "A lot, actually. Has Lucas been doing the same thing to you?"

"A lot, actually," I echoed, feigning interest in the bland tile flooring. "What do you think all of this means? I always thought they couldn't stand each other, but what if it somehow turned into something entirely different?"

Farkle shrugged simply, looking over at Maya and Lucas. "I'm not really sure. But if they truly made each other happy, wouldn't letting them go be the right thing to do? Even if it kills us both inside?"

I followed his gaze, locking eyes on the both of them. They were still bickering, but it had a teasing edge to it. Almost as if they were only doing it to get the other's attention. "I guess so," I muttered, even though saying it aloud felt like a dagger straight into my chest. It was one thing to briefly consider the possibility of having to let Lucas go when I was barely coherent. It was another thing entirely to say it aloud to someone else.

"Would you be okay if that's what you had to do?"

There would be no sense in lying to him anymore. Not after everything we both had already confessed to. "No," I answered honestly. "Would you?"

"Not one bit. But if it ended up making Maya happy ... I could learn how to live with it. She's still my first priority, even above myself. She always has been, Riley. I would do anything to make sure she was happy, even if it meant giving up my own happiness in the process."

I glanced back over at him, just to catch sight of Missy talking to one of her friends a few feet behind us. It was about twenty minutes until graduation, and I knew that this could possibly be my last opportunity to say what I needed to say to her. "I'm sorry, there's somebody I need to have a word with," I said in a slight rush, brushing past Farkle and striding over to Missy and her friend. I knew I would feel awful about blowing him off later, but I still hoped that he understood.

"Missy?" I asked, already struggling to keep my tone mildly polite. Although I knew something must have happened in her life to prompt her to say all those things to me, I still wasn't too ecstatic about it. No matter what you have been through, that's no excuse to go around hurting innocent people on purpose.

She glanced away from her friend, eyebrows raised. "Riley?"

Deciding to take a page out of her book, I latched onto her wrist and literally dragged her away from everybody. A few people gave us strange looks, but I paid little to no attention to them, not even bothering to slow down until we reached my original destination.

Right next to the front doors of our middle school.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed, yanking out of my grip.

I rolled my eyes at her, taking a subtle deep breath before speaking up."Missy, I don't know what you've been through, but I know it must be really bad if it turned you into this type of person. I'm not excusing you for your behavior, but at the same time, I know that this isn't who you really are inside. It can't be. You have some goodness inside you, and I'm sorry that you seem to be forgetting that. No matter what you have been through, you cannot allow it to shape what kind of person you are. Not in this way, at least. You must be really strong and brave, because here you are. There's something that is obviously hurting you, but you still wake up in the morning, you still come to school. I'm proud of you, and I wanted to congratulate you no graduating from middle school today."

Missy paused for a very long moment, almost a full two minutes before awkwardly clearing her throat. "Thank you, Riley. I ... that really means a lot to me. No one has ever said anything like that to me before."

I smiled. "You're welcome."

"By the way," she started, seeming hesitant. I hesitantly gestured for her to continue, and she did. "I'm sorry for everything that I've said and done to you. You don't deserve any of that. But you do deserve to know that it's pretty obvious that Lucas doesn't have feelings for your other friend. Riley, the boy is head over heels for you," she added softly, biting her lower lip lightly. "I'm just sorry I tried to make you believe otherwise."

Reassurance. Right here, right now. Maybe my father was right, and the universe was looking out for me. "Thanks, Missy," I said tentatively. She smiled warily, before her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her tiny pink purse, pressing the answer button. I flashed her another smile before walking away to give her some privacy.

Life has the habit of working out in funny ways. But for the moment, I was content, maybe even happy. And wasn't that what living was all about? Not just the huge, breathtaking moments but also the smaller, peaceful moments where you felt like everything may just be right in the world?

I caught sight of Lucas across the hall and quickly jogged up to him, my worries about him and Maya already forgotten. "Hiii," I said happily, barely restraining myself from dancing around like a total idiot. I was still trying to seem cool around people these days.

He didn't even smile. His expression was completely blank. "How could you do this, Riley?"

My excitement fell flat immediately, quickly being replaced with confusion and stress. Lots and lots of stress. "Wait, what are you talking about? I haven't done anything."

He held up his cell phone, his expression still totally empty. I hesitantly leaned forward, reading the words on the screen before shrinking back awkwardly. His mother had texted him, announcing that she would be arriving at our middle school in no time at all, also explaining that it had all been my idea and how she wanted to talk to him about California.

This wasn't going to be good. At all.

. . .

 **A/N: Hi, guys! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I wasn't feeling too great. I hope you liked this chapter, and feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions! I'm curious about what you guys think about Farkle and Riley's conversation, as well as the new complication between Riley and Lucas. Are you picking any sides? I love hearing what you think! :)**

 **Also, shout of to the Guest that said, and I quote, "** **You're an amazing writer! Whenever things are tuff just remember somebody (even if it's only one) cares about you! I know personally I care more about you being a person than just an author! I'm sure other would say the same." Thank you so much! That honestly made my day, and I cannot thank you enough for that. You're amazing!**

 **I forgot my disclaimer in the last chapter - whoops. But still, nothing has changed. I still don't own GMW, oh well.**


	33. Chapter 33

"Lucas, I can explain-" I started, but was quickly cut off. Of course. That was how conversations like these always went in those teen dramas, which were apparently more accurate than I had ever suspected.

"There's nothing for you to explain, really. It's all very obvious. All I'm wondering is how you could actually do this. I asked you to keep your nose out of this countless times and you just had to meddle anyway. Why would you do this?"

I laughed breathlessly, nerves already building up in my stomach. "Because I didn't want to lose you. Your mom would have to come out to check up on you eventually, even if it wasn't for your middle school graduation, which she shouldn't even be missing, anyways. It's a big deal. Besides, don't you think it's better to face the inevitable sooner rather than later, when you least expect it?"

Lucas snickered humorlessly. "This is when I least expected it, Riley. I had already figured out that she wouldn't be showing up, and I was perfectly fine with that. You were the one that was all disappointed, not me. These are the kinds of things I would expect from either of my parents. Not everyone has a Cory or Topanga, Riley."

"Yeah, but I do. I was raised by absolute maniacs, and this is the sort of person I have turned out to be. The thing is, though, I know the difference between right and wrong. Skipping out on your son's middle school graduation is not right. It's extremely wrong, and I wasn't planning on letting her get away with that. Sure, I was unsure of whether or not she would end up actually showing up, but here it is. She's coming, Lucas, like she would have sooner or later."

"You aren't getting the point, are you, Riley?"

I sighed. "Not really," I admitted.

Lucas laughed bitterly. "The point is, this is still when I least expected it. Maybe you saw this coming, considering the fact that you apparently organized this entire thing, but I didn't. You left me in the dark, without a second thought. That's the type of thing my parents have done, Riley. I thought you were better than that."

I flinched back, swallowing hard. "I'm not better than anyone, but at least I was doing what I thought was the right thing to do. According to you, I was incorrect and I apologize about that."

"Sorry doesn't fix everything, Riley."

"Hey, guys," Maya said calmly, coming up to us. She apparently had not overheard our little disagreement, otherwise I doubt she would be acting so calm. But then again, what do I know? Her boyfriend thought she had feelings for my ... whatever Lucas was to me. He wasn't even my boyfriend, come to think of it. So what did I really know? Nothing. At all. "Aren't you going to head into the gym? Everyone else is already there, graduation kicks off in like ten minutes."

Lucas nodded once, not taking his eyes off me. This time, however, I knew it wasn't a good thing. "I'll be there in a second."

Maya's eyebrows furrowed together tightly as she paused to get a better look at him. "Lucas, are you doing all right?"

Lucas. Not Ranger Rick, or Huckleberry, or Sundance, or Hopalong. She had actually called him by his first name. And somehow, I just knew that wasn't exactly going to be a good thing, either. But why in the world was I so surprised? Everything had come crashing down today. Soon enough, I wouldn't have a single thing to lose.

Lucas snapped his head over to Maya, looking as shocked as I felt. "Uh, yeah," he mumbled at last. "I'm fine, Maya." The two exchanged a brief smile before Maya turned, already striding away, most likely heading to the gym. I took a deep breath, feigning interest in the tile flooring while I tried to regain some of my sanity. None of this was making any sense at all to me. What was going on anymore? Why did everything have to turn out this way? Things used to be okay. I knew that they were. So how on earth was any of this even remotely possible?

Lucas reluctantly fixed his attention on me again, crossing his arms. "I'll talk to her and she''l drag me out to California and you won't have to deal with me ever again. But there's one thing I need to say before any of that can happen."

I shook my head. "I'm not letting her, or you, for that matter-"

"Just stop talking, you can do that much, can't you?"

Ouch. That hurt. Biting my bottom lip roughly, I nodded, making sure to keep my expression was impassive as I possibly could. While his words were like knives, I couldn't let him see that. I suppose that was just something I had picked up from Maya.

"Whatever this thing we had going on between us these past few months," he started, pausing ever so often, most likely to consider what he was going to say next. "It's over, okay? It's all over. In fact, why don't we just act like strangers? It'll make all of this easier, don't you think?"

I blinked once, stumbling back a couple feet. I finally looked up at him, not even caring if he saw the hurt etched on my face. He wouldn't really care anyway. "You're breaking up with me," I stated slowly, my voice a total monotone.

Lucas shook his head, grinning sarcastically. "That's another thing you've got wrong, Riley. Remember, there was never anything really official about us. I can't break up with you because we never actually dated."

It felt like there was something tearing a huge hole in my chest. Except this one was even worse than the last one. I had somehow managed to get even more attached to this boy, and now I was going to end up completely shattered on the floor. Like a broken glass. And, also similar to a broken glass, it was highly unlikely I could even be put back together. And if I was, I would never be the same. Because after all, isn't it pain that changes people? That had to be the secret of life. It was the only thing that made sense right now.

"Oh," I mumbled at last. The speakers blared abruptly, claiming that graduation was only five minutes away, and all students that were not already present in the gym basically needed to show up right now. Lucas kept his eyes locked on mine for another moment, completely expressionless, before spinning around and heading towards the gym. I waited until he was out of my sight before following his lead, my steps slow and sluggish as I struggled to process everything that had just happened.

Missy had been wrong. The boy was most definitely not head over heels in love with me. Because one does not simply destroy people that they love. I was stupid to think that I could have ever changed him, stupid to think that he actually cared about me. He wasn't not-so-typical, after all. He was your usual, cliche bad boy that went around breaking hearts.

The joke was on me.

I was idiotic enough to fall for his little game.

. . .

 **A/N: DON'T SHOOT I CAN EXPLAIN. This is all part of a lesson I've been wanting to add into this story for a few weeks now. It also ties in with Shawn and Katy's argument, actually. Any speculations on pretty much anything? Thoughts on Lucas ending his unofficial relationship with Riley? I love hearing your thoughts, so don't hesitate to tell me what you think! You're all awesome!**

 **Alas, I do not own Girl Meets World. Or there would be** ** _nothing_** **happening between Maya and Lucas in Texas.**


	34. Chapter 34

Graduation came quicker than I had anticipated. The names were called and everybody was marching too fast. It was terrifying. I vaguely remembered walking onstage when my name was called, and overhearing a bunch of people cheering but that was it. My mind was too full of thoughts about Lucas, Maya, and Farkle, as well as the situation we somehow managed to get ourselves involved in.

I caught sight of a woman talking to Lucas in hushed whispers once graduation was officially over and everyone was basically just mingling. I had tried to head over there to see what was going on, but someone yanked my arm back. I reluctantly spun around to face the person, a recklessly sarcastic retort on the tip of my tongue, but I silenced myself the second I realized who it was.

"Aunt Morgan!" I yelped, throwing my arms around her. She laughed lightly, gently embracing me before taking a single step back, looking me up and down once. Not in the scrutinizing way, but in a curious type of way. It made sense - it had been ages since the last time we had seen each other, and I was sure I most likely looked different.

She nodded after a moment, her wavy blond hair bouncing up and down with every movement. "Someone inherited the pretty gene from their mother. Seriously, though, I'm so proud of you! You're officially graduated from middle school!"

Uncle Eric and Uncle Shawn came up from behind Aunt Morgan, along with both of my parents and Joshua. I managed a weak, breathless laugh, running a hand through my hair nervously. I wasn't used to being the center of attention with people that were not Maya or Lucas. "Thank you, Aunt Morgan. And I'm so glad you guys could make it! It really means a lot to me."

"Anything for my niece," Uncle Eric said, chuckling to himself. "But hey, where's that pretty boy toy of yours that your dad is so worried about? I wanna congratulate him on freaking out Cory so much."

My dad rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Eric." Then he paused before turning to look at me, tugging me into a bone crushing hug. "You're not a little baby anymore!" he yelled, practically in my ear. I heard my mom laugh lightly before joining in, wrapping her arms around the both of us. The warm embrace ended too soon for my liking as my dad wiped away what I hoped were fake tears and my mom ruffled my hair playfully.

"We're so proud of you, Riley," she said softly, dropping her hand from my hair after a moment.

I smiled slightly, glancing around at the people surrounding me. My family. "Thanks, guys," I said quietly, my voice barely audible over the loud roaring of the people around us.

Shawn grinned. "Hey, I'm just glad you made it through middle school with that one as your history teacher," he teased. "But do you know where Maya is? I wanted to congratulate her, too."

I raised my eyebrows slightly. "You didn't come with Maya and her mother?"

He shook his head, looking slightly awkward. "No, I did not."

Aunt Morgan glanced between Shawn and I before smirking. "Aww, does Mr. Cory have a little something-something going on with Maya's mother? Because if so, props to ya. I've met Katy before, and she's a definite keeper. So don't screw it up, buddy."

"Okay, Morgan, thank you for your opinion," my dad said shortly. Aunt Morgan raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms slightly. I knew she was only messing with him, though - this was the kind of relationship Morgan and my dad had always had. They were always playful with each other, your typical brother and sister. She still tossed the occasional insulting nickname in his direction, but I knew at the end of the day, they still cared about each other. That was just how usual brother and sister relationships were.

I could have sworn a few puzzle pieces clicked in my head then and there, but I couldn't pinpoint what exactly they were. Especially not with the loud chattering of the teenagers and adults surrounding us, everyone practically jumping up and down with excitement. Usually I would be doing the same exact thing, considering the fact that I had honestly been looking forward to this day since I started middle school, but it was no use. I was too weighted down by the complication I currently had with Lucas to be very cheery.

"Okay, Brillo Pad," she said, grinning innocently. My mom and Uncle Eric both snickered, not even trying to disguise it when my dad shot them a pointed look.

My father rolled his eyes after a moment, turning back to face Uncle Shawn. "I think Maya was across the room. The last time I saw her, she was talking to Farkle. It looked like the conversation wasn't exactly the greatest they have ever had, so approach with caution, buddy."

My eyebrows furrowed together tightly as I stood up a little straighter. "What are you talking about? Did you overhear what they were saying?"

My dad stared at me blankly. "Are you kidding me, Riley? I can barely hear you, and you're standing right in front of me."

I pressed my lips together tightly. "Yeah, okay. I should have seen that coming. But would it be all right if we all headed back to our apartment? It's a little bit crowded here and I'm starting to feel somewhat claustrophobic." Everyone nodded except for Shawn, who mumbled something about still wanting to congratulate Maya, but claiming that he would meet up with us later on.

. . .

We all basically divided once we reached our tiny New York apartment. Mom, Dad, and Uncle Eric hovered in the kitchen while they talked, and meanwhile, Aunt Morgan, Josh and I sat in the living room. We talked about trivial things - how we had been, our thoughts on the weather, even our favorite hobbies. Eventually Aunt Morgan turned the subject around on me, asking me about how my friends were, and who exactly was this so-called "pretty boy" Uncle Eric was talking about back in the school's gym.

"He's Riley's boyfriend," Joshua said, smirking.

I shook my head, biting my bottom lip lightly. Although I didn't feel comfortable mentioning the situation with Lucas in front of my parents, Uncle Shawn and Uncle Eric, things were different when it came to Joshua and Aunt Morgan. I knew that they would understand better, and besides, they might be able to help me out. Even if they couldn't, I knew they wouldn't chase after Lucas with a chainsaw, so there wasn't really anything to worry about.

"He's not your boyfriend?" Aunt Morgan asked, already sounding confused.

And that's when it all came pouring out. It was almost completely out of my control, the way the words just spewed out of me. It was most likely a good thing that my parents and Uncle Eric were so caught up in their conversations about the nineties, because it was as if I had no filter at all. I started going on and on about how I had called Lucas's mother and managed to convince her to come out here for his graduation, and how upset Lucas was with me right now. I told them about the argument we had gotten into, and how Lucas had ended our unofficial relationship. Irrationally enough, I even told them about the "I love you"s, something even Maya didn't know about. Not only that, I told them about my concerns over Lucas and Maya's supposed "friendship," as well as the idiotic jealousy I felt whenever they were around each other.

Needless to say, if my father had overheard my life would have turned into an actual horror movie, where the crazy guy chases everyone down with a sledgehammer and hammers them into tiny pieces. Or however those scary movies always seemed to go. After all, I had never watched them - that was Maya's thing.

They both stayed fairly silent for a long moment before Aunt Morgan cleared her throat quietly. "It sounds like this pretty boy of yours has it bad, kiddo."

I frowned. "Aunt Morgan, you did hear everything I just said, right? There's no way Lucas actually returns my stupid feelings. If anything, he likes Maya and-" I cut off suddenly, feeling something lodging in my throat again. My eyes were stinging painfully, and I forced a halfhearted laugh, hoping that I could make this feeling go away before it became too obvious. I didn't want Morgan or Josh worrying about me, they had bigger problems in their own everyday lives.

Josh chuckled. "Riley, you really do have tunnel vision, don't you?"

"His mom probably wants to drag him out to California, right?" Aunt Morgan asked, making sure to keep her voice soft to make sure nobody else could overhear our conversation. I nodded, and she shook her head to herself. "He obviously doesn't want to leave you."

"Or Maya," I suggested in a total deadpan.

"Riley, Riley, Riley," she said quietly, almost teasingly. "He's your typical sort of boy. He doesn't understand how exactly to communicate his feelings."

"Um, hi," Josh interrupted indignantly.

Aunt Morgan waved her right hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Hate to break it to you, but you're a typical boy, too, Joshy. Anyway, Riley, I'm betting he's just afraid of being forced to leave you, which would explain why he was so aggravated. Admittedly, he totally screwed up by lashing out at you, but I'm fairly certain he regrets it by now. The only question is whether or not you can forgive him."

I chewed on my lower lip nervously, feigning interest in my shoes. "I don't know. What are the fight we had? When you argue with someone and purposefully say things that you know will hurt them, I figured that meant you didn't care about them anymore."

"You either care about somebody or you don't, Riley," Josh interjected, pursing his lips briefly. "There is no in between. You don't ever really stop caring about a person. I happen to think it's kind of impossible."

"But you shouldn't have so many issues with people you truly care about!" I yelped. Then, realizing that I had raised my voice and almost caught the attention of my parents and Uncle Eric, I spoke softer. "If Lucas and I were meant to be, would we honestly be going through this?"

Joshua shrugged. "That depends."

"On?" I pressed, my voice already sounding somewhat hysteric. I had never realized how much I had been yearning for other people's opinions on this situation until right now. It was kind of shocking, to say the absolute least.

"On whether or not you think love is worth all the problems you guys will have to face time and time again," Aunt Morgan murmured. "Nothing worth having comes easy, Riley. If your relationship with him wasn't real, there would be no problems at all. But this isn't honeymoon avenue. You're going to have problems with each other."

I raised a single eyebrow. "Even problems that lead to arguments?"

"Especially those. It's normal for couples to argue, Riley. The other question is whether or not you want to give up on the whole darn thing because of these inevitable complications."

Fortunately, Uncle Shawn barged in before I got the chance to think of a coherent response. Vaguely remembering Maya muttering something about how Shawn and her mom had gotten into a disagreement, I jumped up, darting over to Shawn before he could stride over to my parents. "I have a question I need to ask you."

By now my parents and Uncle Eric were looking in our direction, but I couldn't even bring myself to care. I was not exactly gutsy when it came to speaking to Uncle Shawn, so I had to use this random burst of courage while it was still fresh. Even if it meant the risk of my life suddenly transforming into a gory horror movie.

Shawn glanced down at me, seeming completely unfazed. "Ask away, kiddo."

"Is it true you got into a disagreement with Maya's mom, even though you two are kind of in a relationship?"

He paused for a long moments, lips pressed together firmly. I didn't bother to look around to notice everyone's reaction and see if they were even aware of his apparent issues with Maya's mother. I had bigger things to worry about. Like, for example, whether or not he was going to answer me.

"Yes," he finally said, exhaling lightly. "Is there any reason you're asking me about this, Riley?"

I nodded. "There is. Do you still care about her, even though you guys got into a fight? Even if you both might have possibly said things you regret and didn't mean?"

Shawn hesitated, obviously unsure of whether or not to reply before eventually nodding once. "Yeah. One little argument with Katy isn't going to change anything, Riley, so you don't need to worry about sprinkling your fairydust on the situation and trying to fix up right up. This is the type of thing we have to work out on our own."

"Because it's a conflict," my dad said, and I noticed him walking towards us in my peripheral vision. "Which inevitably leads to growth. And sometimes you have to grow without anyone's help, okay, sweetheart?"

Selfish as I felt, I hadn't been planning on trying to repair things with Shawn and Katy. Then again, I might just feel like that because I never really considered anything as broken between them. Even my parents had gotten into disagreements before - for example, when my father was trying to teach Maya and I a lesson on the truth. It hadn't worked so well for him at first, but he ended up fixing everything on his won in the end, aside from a bit of help from Auggie.

I glanced around at everyone in the room - Mom, Dad, Uncle Shawn, Joshua, Aunt Morgan, Uncle Eric, Auggie. They had all had seemingly endless conflicts in their lives, even my younger brother. They had to learn from it, though, and grow on their own. Even when sometimes everything seemed totally hopeless, they still had to power through and never give up.

This time, I needed to be like them. I had to learn and grow and never give up, on anything or anyone. That was the kind of person I had always wanted to be. It was time to quit procrastinating and actually become that person.

"Is there something wrong between you and Lucas?" Auggie asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "Because if so, I can hunt him down."

If everything didn't seem so painfully serious to me, I might have actually laughed. I managed a half-smile instead, nodding a little in spite of myself. "There is. But you don't have to worry about it, Auggie. This is something I have to resolve on my own."

An abrupt banging on the door cut me off, and I sighed quietly. Since Joshua was sitting closest to the door, he hopped up and answered, which was a relief. I didn't think I could handle anything else at the moment, especially when my father was already calculating what I had just confessed. I would have to make sure there were no shovels he could get his hands on. The last thing any of us needed was him getting arrested. After all, he was our Mr. Feeny, the voice of logic and reason.

Unless it involved Lucas Friar, of course. Then, he was simply the voice of overprotective fatherhood.

"Uh, Riles?" Josh asked, his voice sounding slightly confused. I spun around immediately, about to ask him what was wrong before I exhaled shakily. the sight in front of me literally taking my breath away.

Lucas and his mother, along with Maya and Farkle right behind them, all four of them standing in the hallway right outside of our doorway.

It was highly irrational that my heart still skipped a beat when I saw those piercing green eyes of Lucas's. Especially at a time as serious as this one.

. . .

 **A/N: No real Rucas moments in this one, sorry about that, guys! However, I mostly wanted to focus on the lessons I had been wanting to teach in this story. Not only that, Morgan and Eric are finally here!** ** _Yaaaaaay_** **! Feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter, it's amazing to hear what you guys think!**

 **Also, I still shall not own Girl Meets World. Yeah, okay, I'm too tired to come up with a clever disclaimer this evening. Goodnight, Rucas warriors!**


	35. Chapter 35

"Which one of you people is Shawn Hunter?"

Shawn raised his eyebrows before approaching the woman, who I assumed was Lucas's mother. After all, it was the same woman I had see in the gym during graduation. "That'd be me. What can I do to help you?"

She took a few steps towards him, her curly red hair bouncing up and down as she moved. I vaguely realized that she had the same bright green eyes that her son did, but I shrugged off the thought so I could focus. "For some strange reason my son is certain you can find some way to convince me that he should continue living with you. I figured I would give you a chance, if only to humor the boy, as well as myself."

"And who are you?" Shawn finally asked, crossing his arms.

"Isabella McGuire," she stated firmly, crossing her arms, as well. "Now, dazzle me."

"Waaaaait a minute," Uncle Eric said suddenly, striding towards Isabella. He seemed a little confused, and almost hopeful. "Your last name is McGuire, you've got that bright red hair and pretty little face-"

"Excuse me?" she cried, eyebrows raising immediately.

Uncle Eric waved his right hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, you're excused in a second. Seriously, though, would you happen to know a Rachel McGuire? She would be about my age, most likely taller than me, and a heck of a lot more beautiful?"

"That's my sister," she said in a deadpan before turning to face Uncle Shawn again. "We need to talk. What on earth made you think you could just suggest to my young, impressionable son that he could live with you instead of his actual family? He had perfectly stable living conditions. Why in the world would you want to screw that up?"

Shawn laughed humorlessly. "You're kidding me, right? Your jerk of an ex-husband kicked your son out of his house. How is that "perfectly stable living conditions"? It sounds more like being stuck out on the street because your parents can't understand what they're missing out on."

"And that would be?"

"Your son growing up!" Shawn exclaimed, obviously taken aback by her nonchalance over the subject. "You went across the country and left your son with his alcoholic father. What kind of mother do you think you are? Because I'm thinking you aren't a very fantastic one."

Maya and Farkle cautiously stepped inside, whereas Lucas hovered in the doorway. I was torn between wanting to talk to him and ask him what was going on, asking Eric about who exactly Rachel McGuire was, and continuing to watch the scene unfolding in front of all of us. Needless to say, it was a very difficult and complicated decision, but eventually I chose to "subtly" scoot over to where my Uncle Eric was lingering, apparently paralyzed in surprise.

"Uncle Eric?"

"Yes, Dorothy?" he asked after a moment, using his old nickname for a me - a Wizard of Oz reference, of course. I had never quite understood it, but I supposed it was better than some unusual nickname that was somewhat insulting. Then again, maybe it wouldn't be too horrible. Isn't that what some families did? It was only playful banter, nothing more, nothing less.

"Who is Rachel?" By now Farkle and Maya had come up from behind me, flanking me on either side. It might have appeared funny to someone if the atmosphere wasn't so painfully tense right now.

"Somebody I used to know," he muttered, pressing his lips together briefly. "Morgan, why don't you think Riley's two weird little friends, Auggie and Joshua out to bring us all back some food?"

"I'm not missing this," Morgan said, glancing between everyone. Joshua nodded in agreement, although his attention was fixated on Maya. I couldn't help but wonder if he was ever going to give up on her.

Eric sighed, pulling out his wallet and handing it to Aunt Morgan. "Buy whatever you guys want."

"Let's go!" Aunt Morgan trilled, hopping up and latching onto Uncle Josh. "Maya, the Farkle, Augster, come on. We gotta get out of here before he changes his mind."

"I'm not-"

Lucas exhaled, hesitantly stepping inside before leaning against the wall closest to the door. "Go, Maya. It's probably for the best anyways, right?"

Farkle and Maya exchanged a brief glance before they reluctantly followed Aunt Morgan, Auggie, and Joshua out of the apartment. Farkle looked back at us before shutting the door behind them, the soft sound seeming almost unrealistic in the awkward environment we were all somehow stuck in. Everyone seemingly hesitated before Uncle Eric cleared his throat, catching our attentions. "Sit," he said, gesturing at Shawn and Lucas's mother and then the couch. They shot each other a confused look before warily sitting down, gazes locked on Uncle Eric.

"You got this?" my dad asked quietly, leaning towards his brother. I bit back a yell of shock - I had all but forgotten that my parents were still here.

Uncle Eric nodded, cracking a small smile. "Trust me," he murmured, fleetingly looking between Lucas and I before facing my father again. "I've got this. I'm pretty good at handling people's issues, don't you know? Oh, but Riley, Riley's boyfriend?"

I shook my head quickly. "He's not my-"

"Hush, child. You're not helping. I want you two to go to your bedroom and do regular teenager things while I talk to these two," Uncle Eric explained, pointing towards the couch. Shawn rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't comment on my uncle's strange behavior.

"Uh, wait a minute-" my dad started.

Fortunately, my mom decided to step in before this could officially turn into World War III. "Listen to Eric, Cory. If only because you have to believe that everyone can be good at something. This might actually be his thing. Trust him."

My dad looked between Lucas and I before heaving a sigh. "Fine. But don't do regular teenager things. Just because you've graduated from middle school doesn't mean you have unlimited freedom," he said to me, eyebrows raised.

I smiled awkwardly, coming to the realization that he was unaware of my current complications with Lucas. In fact, aside from Lucas himself, the only other two people that knew about any of that had just left. I was completely on my own here. "Okaaaay," I mumbled, quickly escaping to my bedroom before my dad could say anything else that might possibly make me want to light myself on fire. I didn't bother looking back, already sure that Lucas wouldn't be right behind me.

I sat down at my sacred bay window, biting my bottom lip hard. It was times like this I wished everything wasn't so tense with everybody in my life. I needed to talk to Maya or Farkle, because they would understood how I was feeling right now better than even I could. That was how it had always worked. But then life started getting complicated, and although I knew that nothing would ever be the same, I couldn't keep myself for longing for some semblance of normalcy. Just for a couple minutes, I wanted to be certain of everything again.

"Riley."

I jerked my head up, my eyes widening slightly. Apparently I was not as talented at predicting things as I used to be. "Lucas."

He paused in my doorway for a minute before hesitantly walking over and sitting besides me at my bay window. "I just thought I ought to apologize for the things I said earlier. It was unfair to treat you that way when you were only trying to do what you thought was best. I know that your intentions were good, and it isn't your fault that my mom is the way that she is."

I smiled slightly, glancing over at him. "It's okay."

"But it really isn't. I shouldn't have treated you that way, and I'm really, really sorry that I did but you shouldn't forgive me that fast. At least yell at me for a little while, tell me that you wish you had never met me, anything like that."

I raised my eyebrows quizzically. "Why would I lie to you?"

Lucas groaned in exasperation, resting the back of his head against the window. "Because of how I treated you before graduation. I ruined everything, and like I said, sorry doesn't always fix everything. That applies to me, too, sunshine."

I shrugged. "Sometimes we're going to have complications. But we can't let our mistakes define us, can we? I knew that I shouldn't have called your mother, and I did it anyway. I should be apologizing, too."

"No, you should not be, Riley. Because I've been messing up a lot lately, and that's something we're both well aware of. Today wasn't the first time I've said or done something to hurt you, and I'm sorry. But you shouldn't forgive me so quickly. Take some time to think about-"

I held both of my hands up, silencing him. Huh. I hadn't been expecting that to actually work. "About what? Whether or not we're worth it? Whether or not you're worth it? We are, and so are you, Lucas. I'm not giving up on our relationship or you just because we're teenagers and sometimes we say certain things that we don't mean. Even adults say stuff they don't mean sometimes, Lucas. No one is perfect. But that's okay."

Lucas bit his lower lip lightly, looking over at me. Green eyes met brown, and I almost sighed in relief. Those were the green eyes I had grown to love - the green eyes that were full of so many different emotions that it was nearly impossible to name them all. He was still my Lucas. Nothing had changed. "Why don't you ever give up on me?"

"Because I love you," I said softly. "And you're worth fighting for to me."

Lucas laughed, but it sounded almost breathless. It sounded like he was relieved, which was shocking to me, but then again, I had sounded the same way a few thousand times, too. "I love you, too. And ... just in case Shawn can't convince my mom that I would be better off staying here, there's something I want to give you."

I swallowed hard, not liking the sound of that. It was beginning to sound like goodbye to me. My least favorite word in the entire world. "You don't need to give me anything, Lucas."

"But I want to," he said, his tone fairly teasing, although there was a trace of seriousness in his statement. He tugged his tattered leather jacket off, brushing it off a couple times before handing it to me. "This is one of my favorite things in the world, besides you, of course. I've had it for a pretty long time, and it has a lot of sentimental value-"

"Lucas, don't-"

"-and I want you to keep it," he continued as if I hadn't even spoken. "It means a lot to me, sure. But you mean even more to me. And just in case life spirals out of control again and things don't go as planned, I'm doing this. Besides, I had been wanting to give it to you, anyway. It was just hard to work up the nerve to do so."

I chewed my bottom lip nervously, hesitantly accepting the jacket. "Are you really sure about this?"

"I'm sure. Oh, and it's the jacket I was wearing the day that I met you," he added, laughing quietly. "So I guess that might be why it has so much sentimental value to me."

I pulled it own was far too big for me, and I had the cuff the sleeves so my hands could manage to poke through. Still, it was comfortable and warm, and smelled faintly of cinnamon and mint. Just like Lucas. I smiled halfheartedly the reality of the situation finally catching up to me. This could be goodbye. "Thank you, Lucas."

"Sure, but you shouldn't even thank-"

"Lucas?" I asked tentatively, raising my eyebrows ever so slightly.

He glanced down at my floor, feigning interest in the carpeting before eventually responding. "Yeah, sunshine?"

"Don't ruin the moment."

. . .

 **A/N; Hi, guys! Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews. I absolutely love hearing what you think, and it makes my day every time I get a review. Stay awesome! Also, I felt like leaving you guys with a little spoiler - soon enough Riley will realize something surprising (to her) about Maya and Lucas. Hmm.**

 **Truthfully, I don't know if Rachel is an only child or not. I've only seen a couple episodes of BMW with her in it and the Wiki isn't very thorough, so I apologize I'm basically just winging it. Let's say it's part of the AU. xD**

 **I don't own Girl Meets Woooorld.**


	36. Chapter 36

"You can't take Lucas to California."

"Riley," Lucas warned, quickly coming up from behind me. I hushed him under my breath before refocusing on his mother and Shawn, already crossing my arms defensively. It was a little more difficult to do so in his jacket, but somehow I did manage, which was a plus. I could practically feel my parents eyes on my back, but I paid them no attention.

Sometimes I was a lot like my mother. She was brave and bold and fierce. And although everyone said I was most definitely my father's child, I did have a couple of my mom's traits. In fact, come to think of it, I might be like the both of them. Cory and Topanga.

Isabella raised her eyebrows, looking somewhat amused. Apparently the idea that an awkward fourteen year old girl was about to interrogate her was not very frightening. Oh, well. "Aren't you the one that called me out here? Riley, isn't it?"

"It is. Listen, there are certain things in life that are totally rare. Finding a hundred dollar bill on the street, meeting your favorite celebrity, winning the lottery. But there's one thing that is rarer than all of those simplistic things combined. It's something that's wonderful and beautiful, and also, one in a million." It was as if everything I had been holding back was finally pouring out in front of all of these people. It was slightly terrifying, but somehow I knew that I wasn't going to regret it.

She smiled, although it seemed forced. "And what would that be, dear?"

"Falling in love with someone. Falling so hard and so deep that nothing could ever possibly change how you feel about that person." I paused, fleetingly glancing back at Lucas before quickly continuing. "In fact, it isn't even one in a million. It's one in a trillion. Finding somebody you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with at such a young age, barely graduates from middle school, probably seems absolutely impossible to you. But not to me. Because I've witnessed it, and felt it, and it's unbelievably incredible. It makes you feel like you're on top of the world, and sure, sometimes there are complications, but everything has the potential to be complicated. Sometimes you just need to remember that it will all be worth it in the end."

"Riley," my dad said this time, sounding concerned. "What exactly are you implying here?"

Shawn snickered, looking up at my father. "You're seriously not getting this yet, Cor? C'mon, Topanga, tell me you can see it."

I glanced behind me just in time to see my mother nod. "I can. I have for a few months now, actually, so this isn't much of a surprise. To either of us."

I cracked a small smile before fixating my attention on Isabella again. "I don't know very much yet. Technically, I'm not even a freshman in high school until August. But I'm not too young to understand how I feel about your son. Ms. McGuire, I ... I don't want to sound crazy, but I'm in love with your son And ... he feels the same way about me." This is where everything was going to get difficult, I was sure.

She rolled her eyes. "Ridiculous. You're just a little girl."

"I am. I'm only fourteen, and I don't have much life experience quite yet. But I'm still old enough to realize how I feel, and I've been feeling this way since the day I met your son on the subway," I said quietly, biting my bottom lip briefly before gently grasping Lucas's hand. He squeezed mine reassuringly, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. "That was a few months ago, and both nothing and everything has changed since that day. We've already been through so much together that I couldn't name it all without wasting an entire day, but we still care about each other. This isn't just a juvenile crush, or immature puppy love. This is real. This is rare and exhilarating and breathtaking, but none of those things make it any less real. I'm not too young to feel these things, and maybe I still have a lot to learn, but I know that your son makes me feel alive. Isn't that a part of what love is? If only a small portion?"

Soft footsteps approached us, and I noticed my mom out of the corner of my eye. "It is. She isn't lying, Isabella. I've been keeping my eye on these two since the day she introduced me to Lucas, and this isn't something sudden that she's making up so you won't take her boyfriend away. They truly care about each other."

I exhaled in relief again, pressing my lips together firmly to keep from doing or saying anything idiotic. The fact that my mom actually believed that I felt this way was one of the best feelings in the world, but I knew that this wasn't over quite yet.

Uncle Eric leaned against the front door, not saying anything. However, he did keep looking between Lucas and I before locking eyes on Isabella again. Still, he said absolutely nothing, only pursing his lips and observing the scene playing in front of him.

Lucas dropped my hand, only to wrap his arm around my waist and gently grasp my other hand. He tugged me closer hesitantly, smiling a little. "Everything she's saying ... I feel the same way about her. I'm only fifteen, but this is still how I feel. Why would you honestly want to take that feeling away from me?"

"Because it isn't real, sweetheart," she said, although her voice sounded almost patronizing. "Your kids, for crying out loud. What do either of you know about love? Lucas, I figured you might know better. You saw how things were between your father and I."

He tensed up slightly, but didn't say anything, instead biting his bottom lip roughly. Realizing that she could actually convince him that this was a waste of time if she brought up their divorce again, I decided to intervene before it was too late. "Not to sound rude, but some marriages do end in divorce. Not all relationships last forever and ever. Sometimes the spark dies out, or the things you found endearing about your partner are suddenly annoying instead. But at the same time, I've been around true love for my entire life. That's fourteen years, miss, and that's a pretty long time. Nothing is ever going to break my parents apart, because they're mature human beings that honestly love each other."

"Your point?" Isabella pressed.

"My point is that sure, not everything works out. But occasionally things can, and I'm willing to take the risk. We're in love, and while I can understand that may be hard to accept, that's how we feel. Neither of us are too young for this. Because this is how life works sometimes, even if it makes us sound totally insane and lovestruck. Technically, we're only the second one."

Isabella paused for a long moment before abruptly shaking her head. "It doesn't change anything. I don't like the intensity of things between you two. Some distance may be the best thing for you both."

"Distance isn't going to change a single thing," Lucas said, speaking up suddenly. I looked up at him, my eyes widening slightly in surprise. "I'm still going to love her, Mom. Even if we're thousands of miles apart. I had promised myself that I would never fall for anyone, especially after how everything ended between you and my father. But I fell for her anyway. Hard. Nothing is going to change how I feel about her, can't you see that? She inspires me to be a better person, and she makes me feel like I can finally breathe after all of these years of drowning. So, excuse me if I don't want to be yanked away from her. But even if you do try to keep us apart, nothing will change. No matter what, I'm still going to feel this way."

"You don't know what you're going on and on about, Lucas. You're fifteen, you've barely lived, so please don't expect me to believe that you could have possibly fallen for this random girl you barely know within a few months."

This time my dad stepped closer to us, his eyebrows furrowing together tightly. "Not to intrude no your parenting, Isabella, but-"

"-are you out of your mind?" Uncle Eric finished, finally speaking up. We all snapped our heads towards him, all of our expressions equally shocked. "These two are closer than even Riley and her best friend, Mayonnaise, are."

"Maya, " I corrected him softly.

Uncle Eric waved his hand dismissively. "Same thing. Anyways, I've only seen these two together for one day and I can already notice how strongly they feel about each other. It's all in the eyes, ma'am. And you ought to pay attention to the looks in their bright and eager, young little eyes - because it's love."

"I can agree with that," Shawn jumped in, then paused. "Shockingly enough, something Eric said finally made sense. It's a miracle. But anyway, I've been living with your son for the past few weeks. Riley is all he ever talks about."

I grinned slightly, looking up at Lucas again. "Is that so?"

"You're shocked?" he asked, eyebrows raised. I reluctantly shook my head and he chuckled lightly, softly kissing my forehead.

"See that right there?" Uncle Eric asked, interrupting our little moment. "Love. Real love. Their age doesn't really matter in a situation like this - it's all about whether or not they're sociopaths. Since they aren't, that means they have real feelings. Even crazy feelings, like falling hopelessly in love with each other. Do you really want to pull your son away from something so totally rare?"

Isabella stood up abruptly, throwing her hands up in the air. "It would be fantastic if you guys quit ganging up on me, thanks ever so much. Nothing that you people say is going to change my mind. They're just kids, can't any of you see that?"

"You know, I went through something like this with Topanga," my dad spoke up, wrapping an arm around my mom. "We were sixteen, though, and we didn't have as many people sticking up for us. But Topanga's parents wanted her to go live with them in Pittsburgh, despite the fact that she had lived in Philadelphia her entire life. Sure, she left ..."

"But I also came back as soon as I could," my mom said gently. "The distance issue didn't change anything for us, either. If anything, it only made our feelings even stronger. And despite the fact that it felt like the whole world was against us, we knew that our love wasn't something that should be tossed aside like it was meaningless. I came back because I love him. From the minute I met him, I adored him. And although everyone seemed to believe we were too young to know anything about love-"

"-we knew better," my father interrupted, smiling down at my mom. "So you can see, we've learned from experience that true love will always prevail. Even when it seems impossible."

Isabella laughed humorlessly, shaking her head to herself. "What a load of crap. No offense, but you two were still older than Lucas and Riley. You at least had more life experience. They barely know anything!"

Shawn stood up then, arms crossed. "They know a lot. Trust me."

"Please, Ms. McGuire," I pleaded, my voice so quiet it could barely pass for a feeble whisper. "Please just listen to us."

Isabella shook her head again, lips pressed together. "My mind has been made up. Lucas?"

He reluctantly tore his gaze away from me, raising his eyebrows hesitantly. "Yes?"

"You're coming with me to California. We leave tomorrow afternoon, so be sure to say goodbye to your friends. Especially that one," she said, gesturing to me. "After all, she is the one that invited me out here," she said almost teasingly before spinning around. Uncle Eric stepped out of the way so she could exit through the front door, literally slamming it behind her.

Things just went from bad to terrible within seconds.

. . .

 **A/N: HOLY CROW WE GOT THIRTEEN REVIEWS ON THE LAST CHAPTER. Thank you guys so, so much! It means everything to me to hear your thoughts on this story, and you all are so incredible. I literally love you guys so much, you're the greatest. Also, another thank you to everyone who left me information on Rachel and her sibling(s)! You helped out a lot, thanks! :)**

 **So, things aren't looking too fabulous for Riley and Lucas. Do you think they can get themselves out of this mess? Even I don't know! I'm basivally winging it again haha. Feel free to leave your thoughts! You're awesome!**

 **Secret of life = me not owning Girl Meets World. Sigh.**


	37. Chapter 37

"This can't be happening. I refuse to believe that any of this is actually happening."

Needless to say, I was completely freaking out. Lucas's mother had been gone for about an hour, and I was the first person to say anything since she left. Aunt Morgan, Maya, Farkle, Josh, and Auggie still weren't back from their little adventure, so it was just me, my parents, Lucas, Shawn, and Uncle Eric. They all snapped their heads towards me when I spoke, but didn't respond, simply looking away again.

I inhaled sharply, feeling cold despite the normally warm leather jacket I was wearing. Then again, I was fairly certain I could be standing inside a volcano on the sun right now and still feel like I was freezing. It wasn't a scientific thing; it was a personal thing. It felt as though something was turning to ice inside of me, spreading through my entire body. I was surely going to turn into an icicle if this kept up.

I shook my head, quickly standing up. I had been sitting at the dining room table for the past sixty or so minutes, and it was not exactly comfortable anymore. "Come on, someone here has got to have a plan. Something insane enough that it might possibly go against all odds and keep Lucas's mom from taking him away. Dad, Uncle Shawn, you guys were the biggest pranksters back in your day, right?"

"I'm retired," my dad said, exhaling.

Shawn nodded in agreement. "I hate to break it to ya, kid, but this might just be out of our control. It's up to the new generation to fix this up."

I threw my hands up in frustration, barely resisting the urge to start screaming. "But I don't know what to do, none of us do! We're all just kids, you heard Lucas's mom. We barely know anything at all."

"If you go by everything his mother said, you're too young to be in love," my mom spoke up, raising her eyebrows. "Are you?"

I shook my head immediately, suppressing a sigh. "Of course not. But how are we supposed to figure out how to convince a grown woman not to follow her instincts and drag her son across the country? What can we possibly do that will change her mind?"

"Something insane enough that it might possibly go against all odds and keep Lucas's mom from taking him away," Uncle Eric echoed, cracking a small smile.

Trying to convince the adults was totally hopeless, I noted. Fortunately enough, the door swung open, nearly knocking Uncle Eric off his feet. He quickly righted himself, spinning around to face whoever almost decapitated him. Of course, it was Aunt Morgan, with Maya, Farkle, Josh, and Auggie right behind her. "What'd I miss?" she asked, looking between all of us.

"How did you get up here without someone letting you in?" my dad asked, seeming caught off guard.

She laughed lightly, pulling something silver out of her pocket and tossing it at Uncle Shawn. "I stole Shawn's key. Now, why is everyone looking so depressed? What, did something really bad happen while we were spending all of Eric's money?"

Lucas shrugged, not looking up from the floor. "Depends. Would you consider my mom deciding to drag me out to California tomorrow a really bad thing? Because if so, there ya have it."

Maya and Farkle quickly walked inside, suddenly more alert than they had been just a couple minutes ago. "You've got to be kidding me!" Maya exclaimed. Well, that just about summed up how I was feeling over the subject.

I reluctantly shook my head. "We're not, although I wish that we were. Lucas leaves tomorrow" The words tasted acidic, causing a bitter taste to form in my mouth. I swallowed hard, hoping that it would go away, but it only got worse. It felt even colder now, and I pressed my lips together tightly, forcing myself to take a deep breath through my nose. Saying certain things out loud always seemed to have this kind of effect on me. Apparently that hadn't changed with everything else.

Farkle sat besides me at the dining room table, glancing over at Lucas, who was sitting on the arm of the sofa. "Are you sure there isn't anything we can do to change her mind?"

"That also depends," my dad said, leaning against the fridge. "Do you guys think that you can do this? The four of you are complete and utter individuals - the genius, the dreamer, the artist, and the troublemaker. Put your heads together and ask yourselves - is anything possible?"

I looked between Farkle, Maya, and Lucas. "But what are the odds that four kids could possibly convince a woman as headstrong and determined as Lucas's mother that she is making the wrong decision?"

My mom stood next to my dad, smiling a little. "People can be convinced of almost anything. Sometimes it just takes a little creative thinking, along with your own persistence and determination. If you put your minds to it, you can do anything - at least, once you start believing that. The sky is the limit."

Aunt Morgan flashed me a reassuring smile. "I have faith in you, Riley. And while I may not know your friends as well as you do, I know nothing is too big for you kids to handle. You can do this."

Lucas snickered humorlessly. "Thanks, but you're not exactly correct there. I know how my mother is. She's the type of person that doesn't listen to anyone once she has her mind made up. Nothing is going to change this - by this time tomorrow, I'll be boarding a flight to California. We might as well accept it while we're still ahead."

"Maybe he's right," Maya said quietly. "Not everything is possible."

I had always been labeled as a dreamer - that was, after all, who I had always been. But things had been changing quite often these past few months. While I wanted to believe what everyone was saying, it was easier said than done. Isabella McGuire seemed like one of the most persistent, stubborn people on the entire planet, and I barely knew her. I knew she must have layers, because everybody did, but that was still who she was. Would there really be any reason to even try? What if it turned out we were just wasting our time?

I couldn't let that happen. Lucas and Maya were right - some thing cannot be fixed. Looking at this situation from a third person's perspective, it was easy to see that this was one of those things.

. . .

I wasn't the least bit surprised when I heard knocking on my window later that night. It was about ten o'clock now, and everyone had left hours ago. Even Maya and Farkle had left at about eight, Lucas heading out right behind them. Still, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before his thoughts started getting too loud. It wasn't even shocking that it happened to him around the same time it began happening to me.

The window was already unlocked, and I strode over to the bay window, plopping down in my usual seat. Lucas climbed inside, not even bothering to close the window behind himself. "Hey, sunshine."

I forced a smile, although it quickly faded. It was hard to fake a smile when everything was crashing down like this. "Hi." I was still wearing the jacket Lucas gave me, so the cool air had no effect on me. I peered out the window next to the one he used to climb inside, focusing on the faintest hints of city lights. Most of it was covered by dark green trees, finally growing more colorful now that it was almost summertime. I laughed shakily - the irony was officially turning me insane.

Lucas followed my gaze, his lips pressed together tightly. "It's weird to think that I'll already be in another state by this time tomorrow."

The lump in my throat made its expected return. I swallowed hard, biting my bottom lip harshly. Anything to keep my emotions concealed. Maybe that was another absentminded habit I picked up from Lucas. "I know," I choked out, my voice cracking slightly. I awkwardly cleared my throat, ducking my head so that my hair covered my face.

He quickly tilted my face back up with his pointer finger, not even dropping it once I met his eyes. They seemed sadder than usual, and I swallowed again - I was so close to breaking apart that it wasn't even funny. "I meant what I said earlier today, you know. No amount of distance is going to change the way I feel about you."

I forced another smile. "The same goes for me, too."

"Good. Because if not, it might be inappropriate if I did this," he barely breathed, before hesitantly leaning closer to him. My breath caught in my throat when he gently pressed his forehead against mine, pausing.

"Lucas," I said quietly, my voice not even loud enough to be considered a whisper. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I vaguely wondered if it seemed as loud to him as it did to me.

The smallest of smile lit up his face, and I was happy to see that this one seemed almost sincere. "Riley," he murmured, even quieter than I had been.

I didn't want him to leave. We were finally getting back on track, and someone was going to try to take him away? It was cruel, turning us into a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet. Of course, I sincerely doubted either of us were going to end up the same way that they did. But still.

Lucas pressed his lips against mine, cutting off my train of thought. I reached up, resting my hand on the back of his neck and tugging him closer to me, lips parting slightly.

It was exhilarating - I felt like I was treading on water, instead of drowning in it. And I didn't know how, but I wasn't going to let our story end so soon. It had only been a few months - and neither of us deserved that kind of pain.

He gently pressed me against the window I had been leaning against, moving even closer to me. It was then I decided, my pulse thudding in my wrists, my heart skipping a beat, that this wasn't how things were going to end between us.

This wasn't the end just yet.

. . .

 **A/N: Thank you guys so much for all of your lovely reviews! It makes my day to hear from you guys, and I can't believe how amazing you all are. Never change - you're all awesome just the way that you are. Also, an extra shout out to Kat (Guest), writingismylife0101, and lizsharm! You guys are fantastic people, your reviews made me smile so wide that my face actually hurt. Thank you for being such great people, as well as your kind words! :D**

 **Feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter! It's really cool to hear from you guys!**

 **Alsoooo, I do not own Girl Meets World. I don't even own a chihuahua- wait, no. I actually do have one of those.**


	38. Chapter 38

"We can do this," I insisted, not a single trace of doubt in my voice. They eyed one another warily, apparently worrying about my sanity, but I didn't let it get to me. This was completely possible. We were going to somehow convince Lucas's mother that he needed to stay here and then we would all have our cliche happily ever afters. We were going to be okay.

They didn't seem to share my thoughts, though.

"I'm supposed to be saying goodbye to you guys," Lucas reminded me unhelpfully. "My flight leaves in a few hours, and my mother is coming to pick me up in one hour. None of us can come up with anything that'll change her mind in such a short period of time."

I forced a slightly sarcastic smile, looking down at the ground. "Thanks for the encouragement," I mumbled, pressing my lips together tightly as I focused on the beige carpeting. We were all crowded in Shawn's apartment, while he was over with my parents, per usual. My dad had been a bit hesitant about leaving the four of us alone with each other, but eventually my mom and Shawn convinced him that he was acting crazy.

"We just need to think creatively, right?" Farkle suggested, breaking the awkward silence. Lucas and Maya risked a glimpse at each other, but I kept my gaze locked on the floor. Maybe Maya and Lucas were right. Maybe there was no way out of this mess.

I shook my head suddenly, jerking my head up. "What if that doesn't help us?"

Farkle sighed, raising his eyebrows. "Come on, Riley, you can't seriously be giving up on this already. You're the dreamer, remember? You never give up on anyone or anything, no matter the sacrifice."

I shrugged simply, sinking down to the floor, sitting cross-legged. "I don't know. Maybe Lucas and Maya are right, that's all. His mom did seem really persistent and determined, so."

Maya plopped down besides me, nudging me with her shoulder. "I'm sorry, peaches."

I glanced over at Lucas and Farkle, whose expressions were both completely incredulous. "What?" I finally asked, my curiosity getting the best of me as usual. No wonder everyone seemed to think that I was so painfully predictable - I was.

Lucas shrugged, too, sitting on the arm of Shawn's couch. "I dunno, just thinking, I guess. It's weird to try to comprehend that this could be the end of literally everything, that's all. My mom's job doesn't exactly pay her millions of dollars, and even if it did, there's no way she would let me visit you guys. It's just ... strange to think about."

I pressed my lips together tightly, quickly looking over at Maya. "Help me, "I said pleadingly, my voice barely audible.

She scrunched her nose up in confusion before realizing what I was talking about. It had been quite awhile since I had acted like This Riley - the Riley that constantly needed her best friend's help with whatever was tossed in her direction. In fact, I was fairly certain the last time I had acted like this was a couple weeks before I started "dating" Farkle, when things were still simple and easy between the two of us. "This one's sort of too difficult for even me to figure out, Riles. I'm sorry."

I stifled a groan, furrowing my eyebrows together tightly. "But you know a lot of stuff, Maya. Come on, help me."

She whipped her head over to Farkle and Lucas's general direction before hopping up, latching onto my arm and yanking me up, and dragging me out of the apartment. She didn't loosen her grip on me until we were about ten feet away from Shawn's place, and when she finally did, she was grinning slightly. "Listen, I've seen this kind of story play out hundreds of times. Blah, blah, blah, typical teenage angst, maybe a make out scene or two, then bam! Suddenly, the mom abruptly changes her mind and chooses to live in the Big Apple again, the two main characters share a passionate kiss, then the ending credits roll."

I stared at her blankly. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Movies, TV, aren't you putting the puzzle pieces together yet? In every single story, the broken boy never moves away from his little ray of sunshine. Then the two get their happily ever after and every single bad thing that happened between them before that point is basically forgotten. Haven't you watched any movies, darling?"

I took a hesitant step away from her, suddenly fearing for her sanity. "Maya, I hate to break it to you, but this isn't some teen fiction. It's real life, and Lucas's mom is going to take him away forever. There isn't even anything we can do about it. So I appreciate the reassurance, but-"

Maya held up a single hand, silencing me. "Calm down, honey. People are predictable, I thought you would have figured that out by now. Lucas's mother is probably going to end up getting a better job offer here again and she'll stay, you'll keep hanging out with Ranger Rick and giving your father the occasional heart attack, and I'll make sure to take some pictures. But nothing is going to change. You're worrying too much."

Yeah, okay, it was official. My best friend had gone completely nuts. "Maya Penelope Hart, are you even listening to yourself right now? I honestly don't mean to sound rude, but you're talking like a crazy person."

Maya fake-gasped. "I am not talking like Mr. Matthews!"

I rolled my eyes, turning away, but she grabbed onto my arm again, pulling me back. "Riles, seriously, you really ought to trust me here. You wanted my help, so I'm giving it to you. I didn't want to say anything in front of Farkle or Huckleberry, 'cause Farkle's the voice of practicality-"

"Aside from wanting to take over the world, you mean?"

She shot me a deadpanned look. "That's my boyfriend you're talking about, yanno. But anyways, Sundance is the voice of depression right now, and I knew that if either of them overheard what I'm telling you they would assume that I had a mental break or something. But I swear, sweetheart, I'm not kidding here. This is how is always works, and the ship everyone's rooting for always ends up together. It doesn't matter what your example is - movies, TV shows, books, fanfictions ..." she trailed off, smirking.

I tugged my arm out of her light grip, smoothing out Lucas's jacket nervously. Admittedly, I didn't ever see myself taking this thing off. "But my grandparents actually did take my mom away from my dad."

"But that's real."

I paused slightly before reluctantly nodding in agreement. She was making a reasonable point, after all. "Yeah, okay, you've got me there. So, you're honestly thinking that Ms. McGuire isn't going to drag Lucas out to California?"

Maya snickered. "She's obviously staying here. Just wait for it, Riles. Life can be fairly surprising sometimes. Now, c'mon, bay window time. I'm thinking it'll increase our good luck by about a thousand percent."

. . .

We had been sitting at the bay window for about thirty minutes now, and nothing had changed. Maya had been texting Farkle on and off, but neither of us had heard anything from Lucas. Maya thought that he was most likely upset that we had pretty much ditched him, but she reassured me that all conflicts would be forgotten once it was announced that Isabella was staying here. Truthfully, she had me convinced. I couldn't see anything possibly changing my mind now.

Tap, tap.

I spun around, nearly slipping off of my perch by the bay window. I breathed a silent sigh of relief when I saw that it was Lucas, and quickly opened the window for him. Maya and I scooted over to make room for him, and while I was trying to analyze his expression, she was simply smirking as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Hey, Hopalong."

Lucas rolled his eyes at her, but otherwise didn't acknowledge her presence quite yet. "Hey, sunshine. Is there any reason why you sort of disappeared into thin air?"

"Blame my bad influence," I said, cracking a small smile. He didn't seem to be mad at me, which was a good sign. "What time is your mom coming for you?"

"In about half an hour," he mumbled, keeping his eyes pointedly fixated on the leather jacket I was wearing. His little gift to me. "I figured I would stop by sooner rather than later so we could have a little more time together.

Maya laughed lightly, breaking into the suddenly tense atmosphere. "Right, right. Well, I'll leave you two alone now. See ya in a bit, Ranger Rick," she added teasingly, opening the window closest to her and climbing onto the fire escape. We stayed silent until she was gone, and even then things we still fairly awkward. Needing to do something before I spontaneously exploded from vague agitation, I reached over and closed the window Maya had climbed out of.

"What is she talking about?" Lucas finally asked, raising his eyebrow.

I shrugged, biting my bottom lip nervously. He was going to think that we were out of our minds, and it was very possible that it might irritate him, but then again, didn't Maya say that all conflicts would be forgotten soon enough? I didn't have anything to lose. "She thinks your mom isn't going to go back to California."

He blinked once, seemingly caught off guard. "Uh, any reason?"

"Because that's not what happens in this kind of situation," I explained hesitantly. "You're going to stay here and your mom isn't going to go running across the country with you and she'll turn into a stable parent and we can finally be happy together without any worries. That's how this sort f thing always works out, Lucas. Personally, I don't see any reason why this might be different."

Lucas exhaled lightly, resting the back of his head against the window. "Not everything is always so simplistic, Riley. I would have thought that Maya would know better even if you didn't."

Well, admittedly, that stung. I hoped this was part of the conflicts that would be resolved and forgotten within no time. "I know a lot of things, Lucas. Maybe not everything like my mom, but what Maya's saying is making sense. You just need to think about it for a couple minutes. At first it seemed unrealistic and unlikely to me, too, but-"

"Sunshine, life isn't a fairytale. Especially not in this generation, especially not when it comes to my screwed up family. My mother is going to take me out to California. By this time tomorrow, I won't be here anymore. I accepted it, now you have to, okay?" His tone was unusually soft, but it still struck a nerve.

I scooted further away from him, crossing my arms defensively. "No. You aren't leaving, believe me. You're going to stay and everything will be just fine. That's what constantly happens, remember?"

He mumbled something that vaguely sounded like "I'm going to murder Maya," before speaking up. "Riley, please just accept this. I hate that this is the way that everything is right now, but you never know. Things might change, just not yet. Apparently this is what life wants for us, and we have to learn to come to terms with that, yeah?"

I shook my head stubbornly, pressing my lips together firmly. "I don't, because I know better and so does Maya. You're going to be staying, and we have absolutely nothing that we have to worry about. Do you honestly think I would be saying these things if I didn't believe them?"

"Actually, I think that you're the type of girl that's going to believe anything that her best friend wants her to believe," he admitted, keeping his gaze locked on me. "I just don't exactly understand why."

I laughed breathlessly, abruptly looking over at him again. "I didn't believe any of the things that she said about you, even though some of them were the truth."

Lucas pursed his lips before standing up, taking a few steps away from my bay window. "Can we please just have a really nice half-hour before my mom comes to pick me up?"

"But she isn't coming to pick you up, Lucas!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration.

"Why are you so convinced of that, besides Maya's insane reasoning?"

"Because I can't lose you, okay? It's only been a few months and we can't be yanked away from each other yet. Life shouldn't work that way, so it cannot work that way. We're supposed to be together, we can't ..." I trailed off, unable to find the right words to say anymore.

Lucas stared at me for a long moment, seemingly hesitant, before walking back over to me and gently grasping both of my hands, pulling me up and tugging me into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around my waist. I paused for a second before finally giving in, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder.

Neither of us said anything - we just held onto each other.

. . .

A/N: Hey, guys! I'm really sorry I didn't update yesterday, I had the slightest case of annoying writers block, but I'm back now! Thank you all so, so much for your amazing reviews. You're all such incredible people, and I love you guys so much. Stay awesome! :) Also, feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter - do you think that Riley and Maya are right about Isabella? Or will Lucas be dragged across the country within no time at all? I love hearing your thoughts, so don't hesitate! :)

Also, I do not own GMW. BUT AHH INVISIBLE SISTER AND GIRL MEETS RAH RAH PREMIERE TONIGHT. 'Kay, carry on.


	39. Chapter 39

_It's funny how you can still be hurt by things that you've seen coming, isn't it?_

Those were the words dancing around in my mind. My heart was literally aching, which was never a fun feeling, and it was harder than usual to fake a smile. Maya's speculations were still fresh in my mind, but it seemed more unlikely with every second that passed. Isabella was in my living room, already here to pick up the guy I was in love with and dragging him across the country. Going by that, I may not even see him again.

"Lucas, you need to come down here right now. It's time to go."

The two of us exchanged a brief glance before we bolted out of my bedroom. My steps were slightly slower than his, my hesitation and wariness getting the absolute best of me. I skidded to an abrupt halt when Lucas did, his expression confused. It took me a moment to realize that Isabella wasn't exactly informed of Lucas's random visitation to my bedroom.

My dad looked between the two of us quickly, his eyebrows raising. "Wait a minute. Since when were you in my daughter's bedroom? And- how did she know how to find you there?" he added reluctantly, gesturing to Isabella.

She shrugged simply, crossing her arms. "I know my son, and I know that the first person that he would come running to before he left would be this girl. That's what puppy love does to people, after all."

Dad kept his eyes focused on us for another short minute before seemingly shrugging it off. "Yeah, okay. But where are the others? Maya and Farkle, I mean."

The front door opened slowly, and I heard a familiar laugh, although it seemed a bit forced. "Right here, buddy," Maya said, leaning against the door frame. Farkle was standing next to her, looking somewhat uncomfortable and even more hesitant than usual.

I looked over at my parents, eyebrows furrowing. "Wait, where's Mom and Uncle Shawn?"

He cracked a small smile, stepping towards me slowly. "Shawn went to go get his camera. He said that he wasn't letting anyone drag this boy across the country before he got a few pictures of him."

Ms. McGuire heaved a loud sigh, catching me off guard; I had almost forgotten that she was even here. My bad. "Yeah, that's really sweet and all but we have places to be. Our flight leaves pretty soon, and we have to get going. Lucas, tell your friends goodbye so we can get out of here, please."

Maya snickered, walking inside the apartment without invitation. Well, at least I know that we're still best friends, since that is a typical best friend move. "It isn't that easy, sweetheart. I hate to break it to ya, but Huckleberry actually cares about us. This isn't one of those classic wave goodbye and trek to the airport type thingies."

"Your speculation isn't working out too great, Maya," I said softly, fiddling with my fingers nervously.

She smiled sadly, pursing her lips briefly. "I know, peaches."

Farkle quickly walked inside, too, only stopping once he was standing right next to Maya. "You'll call and text us all the time, right, Lucas? Oh, and we can video chat, too. My dad got this new laptop and t has really amazing video chatting ... stuff." Maya smiled slightly, although this one wasn't so sad, glancing over at Lucas.

He nodded, grinning halfheartedly. "Yeah, of course."

This was really it. This was really goodbye. I took a couple steps away from everyone, stumbling over to the dining room table and taking a seat. Crossing my arms, I hugged the leather jacket closer to myself, feeling colder than usual again. It was the kind of cold that wouldn't vanish if someone lit me on fire - the kind of cold that comes from inside. The sort of freezing that only pops up when you feel as though your entire life is crashing down on you, in which life symbolizes an avalanche and you're simply the person being buried alive.

It's the kind of cold that makes you feel sick inside, and there isn't anything you can do about it. Because something is finally out of your control, and no amount of pleading or speculating or hoping can fix this. This is the direction life wants to take you, and apparently it's better to accept it than constantly trying to change fate. This was supposed to happen for some messed up reason. Nothing that I said or did could fix it.

Shawn strode inside then, fortunately breaking me out of my gloomy thoughts. "Sorry I'm late, turns out my camera is fond of hiding from its owner," he teased, although it seemed almost as halfhearted as the smiles surrounding me right now.

Isabella groaned in exasperation, standing up a little straighter. "Let's just get this over with already so we can leave. I'm not the biggest fan of this apartment complex. In fact, it seems somewhat trashy."

Maya mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "so do you," before walking over to the kitchen table, where I was sitting. "Come on, little plant. Excluding yourself from this isn't going to make it hurt any less in the end. You might as well enjoy this much."

Farkle nodded in agreement before quickly approaching us, latching onto my wrist and tugging me upright. "We aren't going to let you regret anything about right now, Riley."

I pulled away from him almost immediately, plopping back down on the chair and crossing my arms again stubbornly. "I'm going to do what I want to do, you guys. Life is changing, and I feel like changing with it." Honestly, I didn't even know where any of this was coming from. The only thing that made any sense to me right now was that I wanted to be left alone. Goodbyes were always something I had been hoping to avoid when it came to relationships, that was why I was so hesitant of letting Lucas in. And now he was leaving, and it felt like nothing was right anymore.

Farkle and Maya looked at each other before shrugging, walking over to the others. I knew that they expected me to join them, but that wasn't going to be happening. My legs felt like jell-o, and I was fairly certain that if I stood up right now I would fall flat on my face. My knees were shaking so badly that they kept knocking into each other, and it felt like my head was going to explode any moment.

Needless to say, I was horrible when it came to goodbyes.

Shawn snapped photos of almost everyone faster than I thought was possible. Once he was done he set the camera down on the coffee table in front of the couch, and stepped over to where Lucas was lingering. "If you ever need anything, don't ever hesitate to ask, all right? I'm always going to be here for you."

Lucas paused, eyebrows raising in shock before he cracked a small smile. "Thank you, Shawn. I ... that really means a lot to me. I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too, kid." And that's when all the hugging came in - everyone hugged each other, even the people that weren't leaving. I continued lingering on the sidelines, jut watching everybody. There were a few goodbyes that I needed to see, and even then I couldn't picture myself standing up anytime soon. After all, my knees were still knocking together.

"Don't forget to text, Ranger Rick. It's a perfect alternative for when you don't want to hear my voice," Maya teased. He rolled his eyes at her before pulling her into a brief hug. I noticed Farkle glancing over in my general direction from my peripheral vision, but I pretended like I didn't, intently focusing on the two teenagers that had been bouncing around in my thoughts nonstop for the past couple weeks.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll remember that, pancake. Anyway, thanks for, y'know, being there for me and stuff," he added hesitantly once they pulled away. "You're a great friend."

She grinned widely. "I know. No problem, though, Huckleberry."

The way they regarded one another almost reminded me of my dad and Aunt Morgan. The whole teasing one another, playful banter thing - it reminded me of sibling rivalry, as opposed to flirting. It was difficult to understand why, considering the fact that I had been worrying that they might have more than friends feelings for one another. I decided after a moment that this is one of the many subjects I would overthink later.

"Do you have to go?" Auggie asked quietly, looking up at Lucas. I crossed one leg over the other, pressing my lips together tightly. It was a depressing day when a little kid could sum up my exact thoughts without even knowing or trying.

Lucas nodded, grinning sadly. "Yeah. I do. Keep on being who you are, though, and- never give up on Ava. I can tell that you really care about her, and you should never give up on something or someone that matters to you. Even if it's really hard," he added, ruffling Auggie's hair gently.

I ended up tuning out everything else out - I could almost hear my father saying something to Lucas, but it was all muddling together for me. The realization that this was really it was finally sinking in, and I was starting to feel sick to my stomach again. In two hours, Lucas was going to be on a flight to California. He wouldn't be here tomorrow, or the next day, or any day after that - because life is not a movie. Sometimes you don't always get your cliche ending that you're obsessively rooting for. Sometimes you get pain, and it's going to break you inside, but that's just the way things are.

Life is not always a fairytale. Occasionally, it's more like your own personal horror movie.

"Sunshine."

My head snapped up instinctively when I heard his voice, and the corners of his lips tugged up slightly. "You do realize this is the part where we're supposed to say goodbye to each other, right?"

I nodded. "I know. But I've never been very good at goodbyes."

"Me, neither," he admitted quietly, lightly leaning against the kitchen table. "So what exactly can we do here?"

I swallowed hard, twiddling my thumbs awkwardly. "I'm not really sure. Usually, the traditional thing is that the two people say goodbye anyway, or something cheesy like see you later, even though they know that they're never going to see each other ever again."

"But I know that I'm going to see you again someday, and it isn't like we have ever been traditional people, anyway," he pointed out, almost smirking. "So I guess that this is the part where I casually remind you that I love you and nothing is ever going to change that, right?"

I hesitantly smiled. "I suppose that it is."

"Well, I just did," he mumbled, before abruptly leaning towards me, gently pressing his lips against mine. I heard a familiar gasp of outrage, most likely from my father, but I paid no attention to him. The kiss only lasted for a second, anyway - barely longer than our first kiss after the school dance. My smile faded before he pulled away, the numbness in my chest finally fading away, quickly being replaced by its worst enemy an everyone's favorite nightmare - pain.

It looked like I was going to have more demons to deal with now.

"It's a good thing you already know that I love you, too," I mumbled, forcing a half-smile.

He grinned, although it was very brief. "Bye, sunshine," he said quietly, gently kissing my forehead before standing up and walking across the room. "Well, let's go. I guess I'm ready to ruin my life now."

Isabella rolled her eyes, latching onto his shoulder with her hand and already leading him out of the apartment. "Let's not act overly dramatic, Lucas. California is a great place, with nice apartment complexes that won't make me feel like I'm stepping into the dump," she said with false cheeriness.

It wasn't until the door closed behind them, the clinking of Isabella's high heels already fading away, that everything sank in completely.

. . .

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I'm really sorry that I didn't update over the weekend, I had tons of errands to run. Also, in other news, we have 288 reviews! This is literally the coolest thing ever, thank you guys so much! You're all so amazing and kind, and are honestly the best readers ever. Thank you for being who you are.**

 **Feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter! I know it was a bit on the sad side, and I'm hoping that you guys can forgive me. This isn't the end of the story quite yet, though - there's still lots to come. ;D Thanks for reading!**

 **If I owned Girl Meets World, Texas would have premiered one month ago, darlings.**


	40. Chapter 40

"Riley, how long do you plan on staying locked up in your bedroom?"

I shrugged simply, not bothering to glance in Maya's direction as I plopped down on my bed, sitting cross-legged. Even though I had been hoping to keep her out by locking up my window, she pulled the whole ring power bit on me and I had no choice but to let her in. Still, that didn't mean I had to talk to her. Even ring power couldn't convince me to discuss the inevitable topic I knew she was planning on bringing up.

I could practically feel her rolling her eyes at me, although I still kept my gaze focused on my pillows. "Riles, it's been two weeks since Lucas went to California. It's about time for you to go out into the real world again, instead of rotting in your bedroom."

"I'm not rotting in my bedroom," I insisted, frowning slightly. Admittedly, her casual comment stung, although I didn't want to let her know. There was no need for her to feel guilty. "I just need a little alone time these days."

Maya scoffed, sitting besides me on my bed. "You're kidding me, right? Your parents told me you barely even go out there for meals, and I sincerely doubt you've been outside once these past fourteen days."

She was wrong. Sure, I hadn't go out to the park or anywhere like that since before Lucas's ... departure, but I had been outside. "That isn't true," I mumbled, still unwilling to meet her eager eyes. Truthfully, I was afraid that if I looked her in the eyes and noticed even the slightest trace of concern, I would fall apart. And that was one thing I was still hoping I could avoid doing around anyone.

Because it wouldn't make any sense. I was never the type of girl who would fall to pieces over some guy. And although I understood that it was understandable why I was in pain, I didn't want anyone to know. This was one conflict I had to resolve on my own. That was how I would grow, right?

Maya poked my arm impatiently, trying to get me to notice her. The effort was pointless, but my best friend had always been persistent. "I'm guessing you mean the outside bit, right? Well, apparently it isn't. Your mom said you haven't walked out that door since graduation day. Not to sound rude, but I think you're losing your mind, darling."

"How could anyone ever interpret that as rude?" I questioned sarcastically, my attention still fixated on my pillows. "Anyways, I have so been outside. Sometimes the bay window is just more convenient for me, that's all."

"Oh, yeah?" Her tone still sounded doubtful, but it had hints of intrigue, which was a good sign. I think. "Where exactly has the ray of sunshine been going?"

I cringed, feeling like I had been kicked in the stomach. That was the other downside of this recent turn of events - abrupt mood swings. I could almost be happy one moment, and the next one little ting reminds me of him and I'm an emotional mess again. Thankfully, though, I've been getting better at concealing my emotions. It happened a couple times around my dad already, and he didn't even catch on. Apparently all this alone time was finally paying off.

Maya jabbed my arm again, seeming more impatient this time. "Come on. Farkle and I were planning on heading down to Svorski's, you should come with us."

I shook my head immediately, pressing my lips together firmly. "No, thanks. I'm not really thirsty."

She heaved a quiet sigh, gently placing her hand on my arm this time. "Honey, do you even know what you're doing to yourself? I get that you're hurting, but you can't let this pain define you anymore. It's been two weeks, Riles. Moping around in your bedroom isn't going to bring Ranger Rick back home."

I literally flinched away from her, quickly jumping up. "I'm not hurting, Maya, I'm perfectly fine. Nothing like that is ever going to define me, I'm just changing, evolving, growing up, whatever you want to call it. So of course I need some time by myself. This isn't about him at all." Saying his name usually tasted like swallowing acid, something I had already found out the hard way. Now I tried to avoid saying it, but I was worried that might be somewhat impossible around Maya. How else was I ever going to convince her that I was fine?

Even if I wasn't okay. She didn't deserve to have my problems stressing her out; she deserved to be happy. Which was my one and only motivation for forcing the next words out of my mouth.

"Lucas is gone and he is never coming back. I've already accepted that, Maya, and that isn't what's bringing all of this on. You know me, you know I would never let some random guy have that kind of control over my emotions."

Maya stared up at me, pursing her lips briefly. "He wasn't some random guy to you, Riley."

I shrugged simply. "So what? I'm still not the kind of girl that would ever let some boy going across the country break her or whatever it is you guys think is wrong with me. I'm perfectly fine, I promise. But I would be a heck of a lot better if you guys believed me when I told you the truth."

She paused thoughtfully before eventually standing up again, exhaling lightly. "All right, then. I believe you. But it might be a bit more convincing if you actually did tag along with me and Farkle this afternoon ..." she trailed off hopefully.

I couldn't do that. The thought of having to keep up an act for a long period of time scared the crap out of me. I was getting better at hiding my feelings, but I still wasn't that fantastic yet. "No, you go ahead, peaches. I stayed up pretty late reading and I think I'm going to catch up on some sleep. You understand, right?"

Maya hesitated, analyzing my expression before finally nodding. Thank goodness. "Of course I understand, peaches. But if you ever do wanna go anywhere, I'm just a text away."

Translation: If you ever decide to quit lying, text me and I'll be here for you, always.

I flashed her a reassuring smile, one that fortunately didn't come out as a grimace. I really was getting better at this whole acting thing. "Thanks, Maya. That's really nice of you. But honestly, I'm exhausted and you have a boyfriend to get to," I singsonged the last few words, grinning one of my classic Riley smiles. This was it - the cherry on top of the sundae that would convince her I was totally okay.

Surprisingly enough, lying to the people that I loved was becoming easier and easier these days.

Maya laughed lightly, nodding again. "Yeah, okay. I'll call you alter or something. Get some rest, Riles," she tacked on, waving before hopping out of my window and onto the fire escape. I forced a halfhearted laugh, one that shook slightly, but she didn't seem to notice. Which wasn't such a huge surprise, considering the fact that she was almost out of hearing range.

I waited patiently until a few minutes passed and I knew that it was safe to head outside without her catching me. I tugged on Lucas's jacket after another glance outside confirmed that it was about to rain, and climbed out of the window and onto the fire escape.

. . .

Shawn was never very thorough when it came to locking up his apartment, and it was only a couple days after Lucas left that I realized that. The window to Lucas's bedroom was always left unlocked, mostly because I was guessing Shawn forgot it was even there. It was fairly big, about seventy percent of the size of my bay window, which made it extremely easy to climb inside. Sometimes I worried that someone might consider breaking in, but it was strangely concealed by nearby trees - if I hadn't been so crazy the second day he wasn't here, I sincerely doubted that I would have found it.

I stumbled inside his bedroom through the window, and glanced around silently. The thunder roared, another obvious sign that a storm was quickly approaching, but I couldn't even bring myself to care. There was a bitter taste in my mouth as I looked around the room, barely illuminated by the tiny amounts of light seeping in through the window. The dark clouds were quickly approaching, stealing away all the sunshine, but I couldn't bring myself to flip on the light. I couldn't risk Shawn realizing that I was here, and besides, this might be somewhat easier if it wasn't so bright and happy. A girl can only take so much irony.

Sinking down to the ground, I rested my chin on top on my knees. The thunder clapped loudly again, but that was still the least of my concerns. I knew this was probably unhealthy, but we all get addicted to something that takes away the pain, even if it was only temporary. I knew I would regret my little visitation later tonight, I always did. But right now, I felt almost whole. Complete.

I wasn't sure why I kept coming here. It wasn't like he was suddenly going to reappear - he was across the country. California had been his new home for the past two weeks, and there was nothing I could do to change that. No matter how much I wanted to, things were finally out of my control. Coming here wasn't going to change anything, but at least it proved that everything really happened - the earthy aroma was throughout the entire room, although it was fading more and more with each day that passed. But it was good enough for me.

We hadn't really talked since his departure. I knew that he had promised me that his feelings weren't going to change, but that was difficult to believe whenever I thought of the fact that we had only talked once - if you could even count it as talking, that is. He texted me once, after he arrived at his new home that night. But since then?

Nothing. Not one text or call or email or message. It was as if he had forgotten I even existed.

"I figured I would find you here."

I snapped my head up, my face already flushing furiously from humiliation. Of course, the one afternoon I was completely silent, even deciding to sit in the dark to keep Shawn from finding me, he decides to pop up. "I'm so, so sorry, Uncle Shawn," I muttered in a rush, already jumping to my feet. He probably thought I was a freak - even I thought I was a freak for doing this, it would make perfect sense. "I'll get going now. I'm so sorry again."

"No, stay awhile," he said, leaning against the door frame. "There's a couple things I want to talk to you about."

I hesitated, my eyes darting between Shawn and the open window. He flipped on the light and I winced, my eyes trying to adjust to the bright light filling up the room. "There's a lot of light in this world, isn't there?"

"If you let it in," he said simply, cracking a small smile. "You really are your father's child, Riley. You know he did the same thing when your mom went to Pittsburgh, right? He headed over to Topanga's house every single day, even if it was pouring rain, and literally just hung out in her bedroom."

I raised my eyebrows, sinking back down to the ground. What could I say? Curiosity had the unwanted habit of getting the best of me sometimes. "Really?"

Shawn nodded, chuckling under his breath. "Yeah, really. Personally, I think he did it because it made him feel like she was still there, even if she wasn't. He's always loved your mom, Riley. Even when he was only a teenager like you."

Well, this story was already hitting too close to home for my liking. "I think I really should head home, it's going to really pour down out there."

Uncle Shawn rolled his eyes, still chuckling quietly. "Riley, we live in the same apartment building. If you actually used the door, you wouldn't even get wet. Let me finish telling you about this, and then I won't bother you about it again. I'm just trying to help you out here."

I paused before eventually giving in, slumping my shoulders. "Yeah, okay. Go ahead."

"Well, you know, Topanga ended up coming back for your dad. I know they already told you this, but there's a few things I want to tack on." I gestured for him to continue with my hand, and he smiled again. "You don't have to do this to yourself, Riley. I know this can't always be a fun time for you, coming over here and hanging out in what used to be Lucas's room. This is one time I recommend not being exactly like your dad."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Your dad is the greatest person I've ever met, Riley, don't get me wrong. Back then, I couldn't stop him from doing this to himself. I tried to help him out, but there wasn't much I could do. Things are completely different now, though - and once you leave, I'm locking the window."

I paused for a long moment, blinking slowly. The numbness in my chest was already beginning the fade away, the fear of losing my worst escape quickly setting in. "Uncle Shawn, please-"

He shook his head, grinning sadly. "Riley, I know how you feel. I got left, too, and that one was actually her choice. But you can't do this to yourself - you can't keep dwelling on something that hurts you. I know that you think this is best, and you know what, in a way you're correct. You have to let pain run its course. But the thing is that you shouldn't keep adding to your pain, which I already know this is doing to you. Sometimes it's okay to go back out into the sun, Riley."

The rain finally kicked up, almost drowning out the end of his little speech with its loudness. We both chuckled over the irony, although the sound of my own laughter caught me off guard. How long had t been since I last laughed?

Too long, I was guessing.

Shawn flashed me another encouraging smile. "I understand that you're going through a lot right now, Riley, and I get that it's hurting you. Now, don't do that, I've lied my whole life and it's easy to tell when you're fibbing," he added when I opened my mouth to protest. I clamped my mouth back shut in defeat while he continued. "But you can't let this sort of thing rule your entire life. It's okay to be okay sometimes, and it's okay to not be okay other times. No one is asking you to be one or the other - occasionally, it's best to live your life switching between both. But knowingly dwelling on things that hurt you is only going to hurt you even more - and that'll make it harder for you to remember how to be okay."

I paused for a long moment, giving myself time to allow his words to sink in. Finally, I hesitantly smiled. It wasn't a full-out grin, but it was sincere, and that was a start. "Thanks, Uncle Shawn."

"No problem, kid. Now are you heading out into the rain, and do you want to head over to your place the same way I do?" he asked, eyebrows raising.

I fleetingly glanced out Lucas's window, the beauty in the darkness and the thunderous roar temporarily captivating my attention. Only a second later, however, I looked back over at Uncle Shawn, who was hovering by the lamp he had switched on. "I think I want to avoid the rainfall for a little while."

He grinned. "Good choice," he complimented, leading me out of Lucas's old bedroom and into the living room. "Oh, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. The same goes for Maya and Farkle and your parents. We're here for you, Riley - you aren't alone."

I swallowed hard, smiling slightly again. "Thank you," I said quietly. Shawn shot me another smile before I walked out the door, gently closing it behind me.

My phone pinged in my pocket then and I quickly pulled it out, expecting to see Maya's or Farkle's name. I wasn't going to let the darkness inside me overpower my emotions anymore. And maybe I wouldn't be totally fine for awhile, but I finally realized that it would be all right to admit that to someone. No one expected me to be perfectly fine right now, not after everything that had happened. But at the same time, it would be acceptable to feel happy again; to smile and laugh again.

Things were going to be okay.

But then again, life has a way of surprising you - once you believe you actually have every single thing figured out, something big and unexpected occurs. That was the way things had always been.

Which is why I shouldn't have been shocked when I saw that the text wasn't from Maya or Farkle.

It was from Lucas.

. . .

 **A/N: YOU GUYS SHOULD TOTALLY READ THE DESCRIPTIONS FOR GIRL MEETS TEXAS THAT CANADA RELEASED OMG. Also, thank you guys so much for all of your wonderful reviews! We currently almost have 300 reviews, and this is the most incredible thing ever. I can't believe how far we've come, and I seriously cannot thank you guys enough. You're honestly the best readers I could ever ask for, and don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't amazing. I love you guys so much. Thank you.**

 **Thoughts on this chapter? I know I didn't add in any actual Riley-Lucas moments, but don't worry, 'cause they're definitely coming! I love hearing your thoughts on this story, so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think. You're all awesome!**

 **Also, I don't own Girl Meets World ... BUT RILEY DOESN'T SEE LUCAS AS A BROTHER SO MY LIFE IS COMPLETE NONETHELESS.**


	41. Chapter 41

_**You might want to check out your bay window, sunshine. I mean, I wanted this to be a surprise but you aren't here and I am, which makes this really awkward ...**_

I stumbled into my apartment faster than I imagined possible. Needless to say, my parents looked surprised to see me running into our home when they didn't even see me exit, but I pointedly ignored their rapid questions, darting towards my bedroom and literally throwing open the door. I paused for a moment to catch my breath, letting my eyes adjust to the light in my bedroom. Apparently I had forgotten to turn the lamp off before I headed over the Uncle Shawn's apartment.

Once my eyes adjusted I glanced around my bedroom, skimming every inch eagerly. I nearly stepped back in slight surprise when I saw the person I had been hoping and praying to see. The person that had successfully gotten me impossibly attached to him, the person that had been clouding up my throats almost nonstop these past couple weeks. Actually, scratch that. It's more like these past few months, ever since that morning on the subway in January when I was somewhat more clumsy than I usually was.

"Lucas!" I exclaimed, racing over to him and throwing my arms around his neck almost instinctively. He laughed lightly, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into a tight embrace, gently nuzzling his face in my hair. He was soaking wet, presumably from the rain, but it isn't like any of that actually mattered to me. I buried my face in his neck, taking a shaky deep breath. He still smelled of cinnamon and mint, so I guess that it's true that some things never really change.

We didn't say anything for a few seconds, even though there was approximately two billion questions flashing through my mind at the moment. The surprise and delight over seeing him here, especially when I least expected it and had almost completely given up on ever seeing him again, was overpowering all of my other emotions. And thoughts. And pretty much everything else there was.

"Riley, what's going on with-?" my dad asked from behind us, although his question fell flat when he saw what was going on. I reluctantly pulled away slightly from Lucas, making sure to keep a single arm around him while I flashed my dad a tentative smile.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love you, Daddy?" I asked softly, quickly flashing him another one of my typical innocent, hopefully endearing smiles. He continued to look between the two of us before eventually taking a deep breath, apparently calming himself down.

"All right, I won't chase you out the window because I know how happy Riley is to see you," my dad said slowly, exhaling lightly. "But would you mind informing me why exactly you're back in New York, Mr. Friar?"

Lucas chuckled, shaking his head to himself. "You don't have to call me that anymore. You aren't my teacher, you know."

I vaguely heard the intercom ring in the living room, but paid it little to no attention, already knowing that my mom would answer it since the two of us were already up here. "Actually, I was wondering about that myself. I'm really happy to see you, Lucas, but I thought you were going to be condemned to California until you were eighteen or so?"

Lucas shrugged, tugging me closer to him almost reflexively. I really hoped that my dad didn't catch onto that. "I was missing you more than I cared to let on, so when a couple surprise guests in California offered to help me come out to see you, there was no way I could say no. My mom wasn't too overjoyed when she heard about what was happening, but she was already annoyed at me and all it took was a bit of convincing from my aunt and here I am."

I felt a twinge of recognition when he fleetingly mentioned his aunt, but I paid no attention to that, either. I was far too caught up in the fact that he was actually here, and it wasn't some sort of cruel dream. At least, hopefully it was not. "How long are you planning on staying?"

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. "Awhile."

"Cory, Riley, you guys need to come down here right away!" my mom shouted. I raised my eyebrows at my dad before gently grasping Lucas's hand, hesitantly pulling him out of my bedroom and past my father. We didn't say anything while we walked into the living room, both of us too nervous over the thought of facing my mother to make conversation. I knew that there was still a lot that needed to be said and considered before we could have any actual fun, but I was too involved in the moment itself to worry about that right away.

I skidded to an abrupt halt when I saw the three people hovering in our doorway - Aunt Morgan, Uncle Eric, and a tall woman with flaming, fiery red hair that certainly stood out in our casual apartment. I had never seen the woman before in my life, but I was still shocked over Aunt Morgan's and Uncle Eric's unexpected presences to think too much about her, even though I probably should have.

Uncle Eric and Aunt Morgan both went back home a couple days after Lucas left. I hadn't been the greatest niece to either of them, but I did manage to give them both coherent goodbyes before stumbling back into my bedroom, which was kind of a good thing. Still, it was a rare occurrence to see them so soon after they had already been here just a couple weeks ago.

"What are you guys doing here?" I blurted out suddenly, not even pausing to consider how my words might sound. All three adults laughed, even the woman I didn't recognize. My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as I awkwardly fiddled with the lower hem of Lucas's leather jacket, the one that I had barely taken off since the day he had given it to me.

Uncle Eric stepped inside without invitation, and Aunt Morgan followed his lead, although the woman with the longish red hair continued to hesitate in the doorway. "I missed you, my nitch. And we knew that you've been missing your little boy toy so I took the situation into my very capable hands-"

My mom laughed loudly, and Uncle Eric shot her a look. "Don't doubt my skills, Tomato. Anyways, I recruited Morgan here and we went out to California to talk to Scarecrow."

"Lucas," he corrected halfheartedly, smiling slightly at the woman in the doorway. Well, that was weird.

Uncle Eric waved his hand dismissively, something that he seemed to do a lot. "Same thing, different pronouncing-ness. Anyway, his mom was acting a little crazy-"

"So we decided to bring in the big guns," Aunt Morgan said, smirking slightly. She looked over at my parents, who seemed to be torn between laughing and scorning the two as if they were still children. They seemed to be torn over that whenever Uncle Eric was around, though, so it wasn't like it was exactly surprising.

"RACHEL!" Uncle Eric screamed irrationally, causing Lucas and I to stumble back in shock. He seemed to regain himself after a brief moment, straightening out his shirt before addressing all of us again. "Rachel, I mean. She talked to Isabella and reminded her that she might be able to focus on her new job a bit more if she didn't have a teenager roaming around the house, and that it would be a great thing for Lucas if he got to see Dorothy again."

I smiled over the little nickname, risking an awkward glimpse at the woman lingering in our doorway. "So, you're the famous Rachel McGuire?"

She nodded, finally cracking a smile. "I don't know if I would call myself famous, but aside from that, yes. That's me. You must be the famous Riley Matthews? Lucas never stops talking about you, by the way. And the way he talks about you- wow. I wish someone would talk about me that way."

Uncle Eric stared at her blankly before muttering something about needing to be excused so he could slam his head in a car door. However, he simply headed into our kitchen, shamelessly rummaging through the fridge. I supposed this is where the expression "eating away the pain" came in handy.

I blushed furiously, although I did manage to look up with Lucas. "So, I'm guessing this means you might like me a little bit?" I asked quietly, eternally grateful that I could get the words out without sounding like a stuttering fool, like I almost always did whenever things like this came out in the open. Especially when it was in front of my mom and my dad.

He grinned teasingly, nodding. "You could definitely say that."

"Rachel, come in, it has to be so humid out in the hallway," my mom insisted. Rachel still seemed reluctant, although she did step inside, fleetingly looking around our apartment before fixating her attention on Lucas and I. This of course made me feel a tad bit uncomfortable, but I tried not to let it show. She deserved all the gratitude in the world - after all, she was a part of the reason why Lucas was really here right now.

My mom and Rachel hugged briefly before Rachel looked back over at me and Lucas. "You know, it's going to last between those two," she said softly to my parents, biting her bottom lip gently. "Just seeing the way they look at each other - it's enough to make me feel like I'm watching the best romance movie ever."

My dad chuckled lightly. "Yeah ... you know, I might be able to see where exactly you're coming from, Rachel."

I smiled hesitantly, glancing between Uncle Eric, Aunt Morgan, and Rachel. "Thank you guys so much for doing this. I can't even begin to put into words how ecstatic I feel right now, and how grateful and appreciative I am that you guys would actually do something like this for us. It means the world to me, so thank you again. For everything."

Aunt Morgan came up to us, gently placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. "That's what family is for, darling. Now, we're guessing that you guys probably want to catch up, so why don't you hang out in your room, Riley? I think there's a few things we want to talk to Cory and Topanga about, anyway. Right, Eric?"

He reluctantly pulled his face out of the fridge, swallowing a huge bite of cold pizza. "Wha'?"

Aunt Morgan stared at him for a moment before sighing, shaking her head to herself. "Sometimes he can be so wise and thoughtful, and other times I can't help wondering if it's a chimpanzee wearing an Eric Matthews Halloween costume."

I giggled, despite the nervousness bubbling up in my stomach. The butterflies were making their unexpected return, and my feelings about that were reasonably mixed. "That's okay with you guys, right?" I asked my parents, grinning hopefully.

The two exchanged a brief look before my mom nodded. "Of course it is. Besides, if Morgan, Eric, and Rachel have something they want to talk to us about ..." she trailed off, raising her eyebrows pointedly. Lucas chuckled, intertwining our fingers and tugging me back into my bedroom before I could ask anymore questions.

I quietly shut the door behind us once we were inside, and looked him up and down. His smirk when he noticed that usually would have been annoying, but it had been far too long since I had seen that smirk. Who would have ever thought that two simple weeks could ever possibly feel like two whole years? It seemed totally crazy, and even somewhat irrational, but then again, those were just things that you had to live with if you ever fell in love with somebody.

"You're soaking wet," I stated, crossing my arms. "Don't you want a towel or something? Because if we don't get you dried off soon you're probably going to end up catching a horrible cold, and then your mom will behead me because she'll assume it's another downside of our so-called "puppy love," and then-"

Lucas placed both of his hands on my shoulders, and my little rant fell flat. He was much closer than I had anticipated, and it was beginning to become very, very difficult to breathe. "Riley, you know I love you, but I've been here for all of eight minutes and I just really want to kiss you right now."

I smiled coyly. "Would you like to tell me what exactly you're waiting for, Friar?"

He paused, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion before my words quickly and abruptly sank in. He chuckled quietly, almost under his breath, before leaning closer to me and gently pressing his lips against mine.

. . .

 **A/N: WE HIT THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS OH MY FLIPPING GOSH. This is the most amazing thing in the whole world, thank you guys so much for everything! You're the greatest readers I could ever imagine, and I'm so incredibly lucky that you've decided to read this story. It means a lot to me, so thank you again.**

 **What were you thoughts on this chapter? Lucas and Riley's reunion, Rachel's return, anything at all? I love hearing what you guys think, so please don't hesitate to leave your lovely thoughts. Also, this chapter is dedicated to** ** _writtingmagic_** **\- thank you so much for your kind review! You're an awesome person, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.**

 **Love you guys! Also again. I do not own Girl Meets World. If onlyyyy ...**


	42. Chapter 42

"Why do you think Aunt Morgan, Uncle Eric and Rachel wanted to talk to my parents?"

Lucas shrugged, glancing over at me. We were sitting out on my fire escape, just kind of observing the city itself. All the people rushing, the cars quickly passing by, all of it. It was interesting, and it was easier to watch other people live their lives when I didn't feel horrible inside. "I don't know. I'm hoping that it's a good thing, but it's hard to tell sometimes. Aunt Rachel can be confusing, and she's been really secretive the entire time we were coming out here."

I nodded slightly, glancing down at the ground. Everything looked so tiny, considering how high up we were. "You won't be able to stay forever, will you?" I asked after a moment, the reluctance clear in my voice. The elephant in the room needed to be addressed sooner or later, and it might as well be now. We couldn't go around avoiding it until the last minute. We had to talk about it eventually, and better now than never, right?

He shrugged again, abruptly tearing his gaze away from me. "I guess I have to go back eventually. There's no way my mom would let me stay with Shawn again, or even your parents. She has trust issues when it comes to anyone that isn't family, I suppose. The only reason I'm even allowed on this little trip is because Aunt Rachel decided to tag along."

"So where are you staying, then?"

Lucas smiled slightly, almost teasingly. "Aunt Rachel told my mother that she got a couple hotel rooms for us, but really, she only got one. We both know that my mother isn't going to call to check up on me, so I'm crashing with Shawn temporarily. Morgan called him and talked to him about it during our flight, and everything is all ready for me, I guess."

I laughed lightly, a bit of the irony from the situation finally getting to me. "If only it was that easy to get you to stay here throughout high school."

He chuckled, although it quickly faded, his expression becoming impassive. "I wish there really was some way to convince her that I would be better off here. She's assuming that the reason I didn't get kicked out of school again is because I decided to change my ways or whatever, which is partially true."

I raised a single eyebrow. "Partially?"

"I never would have changed my ways if it wasn't for you, sunshine. You completely changed my entire world around in the best way possible, and you made me a better person." He seemed a little hesitant to be admitting all of this, and I tried to remain expressionless, but the truth was that I was already grinning like a total idiot. "You fixed me, Riley. I'm just sort of afraid that if I'm away from you too long, I might begin to fall apart again."

I shook my head slowly, my grin fading into a tentative smile. "I believe in you. I believe that you can do literally anything if you put your mind to it, with or without me at your side. You're going to be perfectly fine, Lucas. You'll get through high school and we'll always be ... friends. No matter what. So everything will be okay."

Lucas stared at me for a long moment, the look in his eyes almost blank-looking. "Riley, you aren't understanding. I don't want us to be just friends, and I ... I don't know. Long distance relationships are practically pointless, considering how the majority of them always seem to end, and you know what happens then?"

I reluctantly shook my head, so he continued.

"The two people who were involved in the relationship typically go their separate ways. I need to have you in my life, sunshine, and I don't want to risk losing you forever because of a stupid long distance relationship that we both know would never work out for long. But at the same time, I don't want things to be totally platonic between us."

I chewed on my bottom lip thoughtfully, my eyebrows beginning to furrow together tightly. Thinking about how he was making our friendship sound, we would only be okay if we were still together, without any distance between us. And maybe I thought that he might be right, considering the way I acted when he was gone for those two little weeks. I basically turned into a total whack job who only went outside to subtly break into her Uncle Shawn's apartment. That wasn't healthy and I knew that.

But it wasn't like there was any way he could actually stay here. His mother had made her personal opinions clear, and at the moment, only her opinion could change a single thing. It wasn't like he could stay with her alcoholic father again, that wasn't exactly a safe living environment for him. His mom was against the idea of him crashing with Uncle Shawn or my parents and I, so that was out, too. She seemed to only trust him with her family, and it wasn't like Isabella had any family that lived out here.

It was hopeless. This entire situation was completely hopeless.

We didn't say anything for awhile, pointedly looking at anything and everything that was not one another. Eventually I grew tired of the tense and awkward silence, abruptly climbing back inside through my bay window and plopping down on my seat. He followed me inside almost immediately, but still remained silent, seemingly overthinking things just like I was.

I never wanted it to be like this. We were never supposed to feel so stuck like we did right now. We were Lucas and Riley; Riley and Lucas. That was how things were supposed to be and we both knew it. But life seemed determined to continue keeping us apart, and it didn't make any sense. Sure, sometimes things do happen for a reason, but right now that reason seemed nonexistent. I could see no reasonable explanation for why things would be going downhill for us the way that they were.

It didn't make any sense to me. None at all.

"Lucas, you're back!"

We both jerked our heads towards my doorway, my little brother's familiar voice snapping me out of my thoughtful daze. Lucas chuckled when Auggie ran up to us, climbing in between us on my bay window seat. Auggie blinked quickly, frantically glancing between Lucas and I before finally settling his gaze on Lucas. "You two weren't doing anything in here that I have to tell Daddy about, right? Because I'm his Super Spy, and I need to know these things!"

I felt my face warm up right away, and I forced a laugh that was supposed to sound carefree and breezy, but sounded more like someone had literally knocked the wind out of me. "Of course we weren't, Auggie. We were just thinking about certain things, that's all."

Auggie raised his eyebrows, apparently doubtful. Well, this wouldn't be good. "But Riley, all you ever do is think anymore. You locked yourself in here for hours and hours, you wouldn't even come out to dinner last in-"

I clamped my hand out his mouth gently, forcing another laugh. Lucas seemed torn between mild amusement and concern, so I plastered on a fake smile to reassure him. "Kids are so funny sometimes, don't you think? They honestly say the craziest things."

Auggie tugged away from me easily, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But it isn't like I'm making this up, Riley. Plus, you started talking in your sleep. I came in here one night and you kept mumbling something that kinda sounded like Lucas's na-"

"Okay" I interrupted loudly, not wanting to hear the rest of his statement. "I'm not even going to ask you what you were doing in my bedroom, Auggie. Really, let's just talk about something that isn't me, please."

My younger brother shrugged simply, still looking confused but fortunately not pressing the subject. "Alrighty. But wait a minute, what exactly is Lucas doing here? I thought he went away."

Lucas's smirk faded, and he fleetingly glanced out my window before looking back over at Auggie. "Yeah, I did, little guy. But I'm going to be back for awhile, you know? So that's cool."

Auggie paused, seeming even more confused than before, but he thankfully shrugged it off. "Okay. Well, I'm gonna go talk to Uncle Eric. He thinks I'm his cousin - so shh. Don't tell him I'm his nephew," he added the last part in a quiet whisper before jumping off of seat and rushing out of my bedroom, not bothering to shut the door behind him.

Lucas and I stayed in silence again before exasperation finally got the best of me. "We can forget everything that Auggie told you, " I said quickly. "I don't even know why he was paying so much attention to me these past couple weeks, anyway."

Lucas cracked a small smile, glancing over at me again. "Why would I want to forget any of that? The girl I want to ask out apparently talks about me in her sleep. There isn't anything terribly scarring about that, sunshine."

"You might want to ask that girl out soon," I said suddenly, even catching myself off guard. These random bursts of extreme confidence were honestly surprising to me, even after all this time. "Especially since she has such strong feelings for you, of course."

Lucas laughed, although it sounded faintly nervous. An actual first for him. "Yeah, you're right, I most likely should. But it's hard to find the words sometimes, you know?"

I shrugged, barely containing another wide smile. "It's worth a shot, don't you think?"

He opened his mouth, although quickly clamped it shut when his phone buzzed in his pocket. My shoulders slumped reflexively, though I forced another half-smile, looking down at my floor after a few seconds. Lucas tugged his phone out of his pocket, typing in a lock screen password (well, that's new) before frowning slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly. Despite how disappointed I was feeling, I was still worried about him. He seemed almost shocked, and that was an actual rarity when it came to Lucas Friar. Even if something ever did surprise him, he usually hid it very well, even from me.

"My so-called father texted me," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. I strained my ears to catch what he was muttering, but he still didn't catch up. "Apparently my mother told him that I was back in the city."

I blinked slowly, still not seeing anything shocking here. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Lucas murmured, abruptly shutting his phone off. "He wants me to visit him."

. . .

 **A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated recently, guys! I got caught up in the whole Girl Meets Texas fiasco, and lost some of my inspiration for this story. I'm back now, though, and I wanted to thank everyone for all of your amazing reviews! You guys are all so fantastic, and I can't thank you enough for your kind words. You're the best! :)**

 **Feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter if you'd like! I absolutely love hearing what you guys think, and it really means a lot to me. Thank you again.**

 **Also, I still don't own Girl Meets World. Some things never change.**


	43. Chapter 43

"Are you out of your mind?"

The words came out harsher than I had intended, but it didn't seem to faze him. Lucas rolled his eyes, standing up and quickly straightening his t-shirt. "I'm not, but thanks for asking. Are you coming or are you staying here, sunshine?"

I gaped at him, my voice accidentally getting the best of me. "You're honestly going to go talk to him? After everything that he did to you? Lucas, he threw you out of his house. Last time I checked, that wasn't exactly the greatest way to tell someone that you care about them."

He shrugged simply, running a single hand through his hair messily. "You worry too much, have I ever told you that? Seriously, though. What's the worst that could happen?"

I stared at him blankly, barely resisting the urge to raise my eyebrows. "I don't think you want the answer to that question, Lucas."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Riley, come on, have a little faith in me. I can take care of myself, easy. Besides, if I can actually talk some sense into him I might be able to move back in and stay in New York. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Of course I want you here. More than anything."

He smirked slightly. "Then it's settled," he announced with a quick wink before climbing out onto my fire escape again. I barely stifled a groan, following after him somewhat instinctively. See, there were pros and cons of being completely in love with a person. This was one of the cons, obviously.

"I want you here, sure. But I want you living in a safe environment where you can be happy!" I added before he could interrupt again.

"He won't hurt me," he mumbled, almost under his breath. "Come on, sunshine. It's time for another one of those life experiences everyone keeps going on and on about."

. . .

It wasn't until we were actually just a few feet away from his old house that I began to have second thoughts about tagging along. I knew that I needed to be there to calm the situation in case things got too intense, but it was difficult to feel too confident in my own abilities when I recalled how thoughtless and careless his father had acted the last time I saw him. "Lucas, are you really sure about this? We could always try to get your mother to see what a great person Uncle Shawn is again."

"Riley, we tried that already. Didn't work out. Now it's time to at least test out one of my ideas, don't you think?" he asked somewhat teasingly before climbing the steps and abruptly banging on the front door. I hesitated, torn between what to do before eventually giving in, quickly hopping up the steps so I was standing right next to him. He chuckled quietly, but otherwise stayed fairly quiet, simply keeping his gaze locked on the door.

It swung open less than a minute later, and there he stood - Lucas's father, that is. He was holding another bottle of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. I pressed my lips together tightly, my nose scrunching up automatically. I had always despised the smell of tobacco, and it always made my throat feel scratchy. I never understood why so many people were fascinated with slowly smoking away their lives, but then again, I wasn't the type of person to really judge.

"I knew you'd come," he grumbled, taking another swig from his bottle before eyeing me suspiciously. "Eh, why did ya have to bring this one along with you? All she ever causes ya is heartache. I was hopin' you might have gotten over that one by now, son."

"Her name is Riley," Lucas said shortly, his eyebrows already furrowing together tightly, arms crossing defensively. "You said you wanted to see me, we're a package deal, so here we are. Tell me why you wanted to see me so suddenly."

Mr. Friar shrugged simply, stumbling into his house again. Lucas and I exchanged a brief glance before reluctantly walking inside, taking this as our cue to enter. I silently shut the door behind me, my nose scrunching up again immediately. The entire house reeked of cigarette smoke and alcohol, and I was about five seconds away from dragging Lucas to California myself. As much as I hated the distance that would be between us, this was the worst environment ever for anyone, especially a teenager.

Nonetheless, I ended up catching up to Lucas and his father, lips still firmly pressed together. Although I didn't agree with his intentions, I knew that this visit honestly meant a lot to Lucas and after all, it was his life. I wasn't planning on meddling again anytime soon after what happened last time.

"I want you to live with me again, boy," his dad said after a couple moments. His words slurred together ever so slightly, a clear sign that he had already had way too much to drink, despite the fact that it was still early afternoon. "It isn't right for ya to be in California while I'm here, all by myself. I gave you a roof over your head, and you just go running to your mother? The one who left you?"

Lucas paused for a long moment, his eyebrows furrowing together tightly again, seemingly too surprised at the man's cruel words to speak.

Well, there goes my plan for keeping my mouth shut and not meddling in his life. Oh, well.

"I don't mean to intrude," I started slowly, barely keeping my tone civil. "But you did throw him out of his house. He had to stay with a good family friend of mine until his mom came out to New York. All because you seemed to think that this roof was big enough to cover the both of you, despite its large size."

The man stared at me for a long moment, his distaste painfully obvious in his expression. So far, I hadn't made the greatest impression on either of Lucas's parents, and somehow I knew that wasn't a good thing. But right now, I had much bigger worries. "Who does that thing think she is, coming in here and trying to scold me? She don't even know me, and even if she did, nothing gives her that right to say anything at all."

My father would so be cringing if he heard the way the man spoke. His inner teacher would probably have a heart attack or something, come to think of it.

Lucas snapped out of his apparent daze, quickly stepping in between his father and I. "Riley's a person, and you're acting like an ass. That isn't exactly the best way to get me to live with you again, you know? Because actually, it's making me think that maybe living with Mom wasn't the worst thing ever."

His father waved his hand dismissively, not even fazed by his son's words. "Whatever, boy. If you want to be around your little girlfriend, you need to be in New York. Not California. That thought must have occurred to you by now, right?"

Lucas exhaled, fleetingly glancing over at me before looking at his father yet again. "Yeah. I know. In fact, that's the only reason I'm even here right now. She's my only real reason to stick around in this city, so of course I want to stay. But staying with you wasn't exactly the greatest experience of my life."

The older man scoffed. "Please. Who are you to judge? Held back in school, kicked out. You're the biggest disappointment I've ever had the displeasure of knowing."

That was it. "You know what, you're going to regret saying all these things someday," I said quickly, standing up a little straighter. Let's call it a random burst of confidence. "Knocking the people around you down certainly isn't going to make you feel better inside, so I don't understand why you're saying these things. It won't fix you, it'll only do the opposite if you have any kind of soul or conscience at all. One day, you're going to look back on your life and realize everything that you have been missing out on. But by then, it'll be far too late for you to fix anything. Because after awhile, certain things can't be fixed. Not once they've been purposely broken beyond repair."

Lucas glanced over at me, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Riley, what are you doing?"

"It wouldn't be a good idea for you to stay here. It isn't healthy for you, and there has to be some other option," I said quietly, forcing a reassuring smile. This felt like letting him go all over again, and truthfully, it really, really hurt. But it was the right thing to do, he deserved a decent place to live with an alcoholic parent and a house that smelled strongly of booze and smoke. "Can we please go?"

His father rolled his eyes at the both of us, setting his bottle on the table and tugging a lighter out of his jeans pocket, lighting up his cigarette. "Yeah, follow your little girlfriend. If anyone's going to regret anything, it'll be you, boy. You're the one that sin't going to have any family left."

Lucas pressed his lips together tightly, glancing between his father and I before nodding slowly. "Let's go, sunshine," he muttered, gently wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me out of the house. His father didn't even bother to call after us, probably already too caught up in his beer bottle and cigarette to care about much of anything else. Lucas pulled the door open and we quickly exited before he closed it behind him, much quieter than I had anticipated.

"He's wrong, you know," I said softly, skidding to an abrupt halt. Lucas stopped, as well, reluctantly turning to face me, his eyebrows slowly raising again.

"What do you mean?"

"You still have tons of family left," I reminded him quietly. "Not only do your have your aunt, you have tons of other people, too. You have my parents, Uncle Shawn, Auggie, Maya, Farkle, Joshua, even Aunt Morgan and Uncle Eric. And ... well, me," I added hesitantly, smiling sheepishly. "You always have us, and you always will. We care about you, Lucas. A lot. You don't need to be blood to be family."

Lucas paused for a long moment, just kind of looking at me before finally cracking a small smile. He opened his mouth, then abruptly clamped it shut again, apparently at a loss for words. Another short moment passed before he chuckled lightly, almost breathlessly, before gently pressing his lips against mine.

. . .

 **A/N: Hi, guys! Thank you so much for your reviews! Every single one of you guys are all so incredible and wonderful, and I feel so lucky that you guys actually took an interest in my story. Feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter! It honestly makes my day to hear what you guys think! :) You're awesome!**

 **Also, I still don't own Girl Meets World. Oh, well.**


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: Hey, guys! As much as it pains me to say this, this is the** ** _final chapter_** **of Troublemaker. I have lots to say, but I don't want to crowd it up here, so please read the author's note at the bottom! Thanks!**

. . .

"We're going into high school," I stated slowly. It was still difficult to comprehend, despite the fact that graduation had been about three weeks ago. Those first two weeks barely counted, considering how caught up I had gotten in my own personal teenage angst. Right now, though, it was finally beginning to sink in. And I couldn't possibly feel more terrified.

Lucas had been here for about a week. We were both pretty certain that his aunt was planning something, but neither of us were sure of what that might be. She came over to my house every other day and shooed me off to my bedroom or outside so she could talk to my parents alone. It was even stranger because Uncle Eric and Aunt Morgan were still staying in New York.

None of it was making any sense to me. But it was the type of thing I was trying to keep myself from dwelling on. I knew it was only a matter of time until Lucas would have to go back to California, and I was trying to enjoy whatever time I had left with him. I wasn't looking forward to having to say goodbye again, even though it had been inevitable all along, but it was getting harder and harder o consider the possibility of losing him again.

Maya shrugged, raising her eyebrows at me. "Honestly, sweetie, have you been living under a rock for the past couple months? Of course we're going into high school, that's something I've known all along. So has your father. I think that's why he's been acting crazier than normal."

"I could think of a different reason," Farkle suggested, gesturing towards Lucas with his hand. "No offense, Lucas, but you're basically the dictionary definition of the word "troublemaker." You're every father's worst nightmare."

Lucas stared at him blankly. "... Thanks. There's nothing offensive about that at all."

Farkle cleared his throat awkwardly, quickly continuing. "What I'm trying to say is that, sure, you might not actually be the typical troublemaker, but Mr. Matthews still views you as one. I'm pretty sure it's because of the clothes you wear - every adult is going to automatically interpret you as, well, trouble. Even kids will. People, as much as they try to deny it, judge people by their looks. It's become such an intense thing in modern society that it's almost reflexive for us to do this. Admittedly, even I did the first day I saw you. I'm sure that Maya and Riley did the same thing."

Maya smirked slightly. "Can you really blame me?"

"I didn't," I said, already feeling somewhat defensive. "Judging people by their outer appearances is absolutely insane. There's so much inside of someone you could be missing if you do anything like that."

My blond best friend snickered, nodding a bit. "Yeah, she's right. Like, if you judge Missy Bradford by her outer appearance, you would assume that she was a little ball of joy and happiness and niceties. When, in all actuality, she's the exact opposite. Here's to hoping we don't share any classes with her next year."

I paused for a moment, fiddling with my fingers nervously. "Yeah, about that. I think she just needs somebody to care about what's going on in her life. From what I've gathered, she has some pretty serious issues with her father, and it doesn't seem like her friends are the kinds of people to care very much."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but she shouldn't have surrounded herself with those people, then," Farkle said gently. Maya nodded in agreement, but Lucas stayed silent, pressing his lips together firmly.

"Maybe so, but it wouldn't be right of us to judge her by the facade she's been putting her all this time. She's still just a confused teenager like the rest of us, and maybe she just needs some people to care about her," I said hesitantly, reluctantly looking between my three best friends. No one said anything, not even Lucas, despite the fact that they used to act like really close friends. I blinked slowly, unsure how to reply to their lack of a response. Eventually I finally decided on simply standing up, taking a few steps away from my bay window. I glanced over at Farkle and Maya, who were both sitting on my bed, their eyebrows slightly raised.

"I'll prove it to you," I continued, almost cracking a smile. "I'm going to go find her and talk to her."

"Riley," Maya said, her tone warning.

I waved a single hand dismissively, flashing her another wide smile. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me, Maya. Missy honestly seems like a good person at heart, and maybe she just needs someone to bring the best out of her. Everyone has at least a tiny shred of goodness inside of themselves, and maybe she isn't the greatest person at the moment. But she has the potential to be, just like everybody else. I'm not giving up on her because she's said a few rude things to people in her past. Nobody is perfect, right?"

Lucas's cell phone buzzed and he quickly pulled it out, unlocking it in a flash. "Oh, hey, it's my aunt," he said, seemingly happy to change the subject. "She says she's at Shawn's place and she needs to talk to me about something."

"Do you think it has anything to do with going back to California?" Farkle asked.

Lucas shrugged simply. "Not a clue, but I'm about to find out. I'll tell you guys about whatever it is later," he added, sliding his phone back into his pocket before climbing out of my window and onto the fire escape. I pursed my lips, Farkle's question still ringing in my ears. It took me only a fraction of a second to spin around, quickly striding out of my bedroom, already heading to the front door.

Lucas was going to have to go back to California eventually. We were already three weeks into summer vacation, after all. There was no way his mother was going to let him stay until August, I might as well accept it while I might still be ahead. But that meant that I was going to need a bit of a distraction from the inevitable facts.

And what was a better distraction than a new friend?

. . .

I had never gotten Missy's cell phone number, but it was fairly easy to find her profiles on social media. She had her address listed on Facepage, which explained how I found myself pushing past dozens on people on the sidewalk. Missy's house wasn't as far away as I had expected it to be, but today seemed to be one of New York's busier days, meaning that it wasn't exactly going to be an easy trek. Still, I was determined to prove to Maya and Farkle that Missy had more depth than she was wiling to let on. I knew that Lucas had to know a little about her, which would explain why he had been so silent during my speech earlier. She had fleetingly mentioned something about her father one afternoon, and I figured that it wasn't good.

I wanted to be a positive influence on her. Farkle and even Maya would be great influences on her, as well. That much was obvious, and maybe if she opened up to us, they could finally see that there was more to people than there seemed to be.

Because Farkle was right. People did tend to judge others based on their outer appearances. But they also never looked deeper into who they might actually be. That was part of why people so rarely noticed if someone had depression. If you could fake a realistic smile, the odds of someone assuming that you're perfectly fine as very, very good.

I stumbled to a stop when I reached the house I had been looking for. This had the potential to be an extremely terrible idea. For all I knew, she may not even be home. But it was still worth a shot. And you never know if you never try, right?

That was my motivation while I climbed the stairs that led to her porch. That was also my motivation when I rang the doorbell, rocking back and forth on my heels nervously. It took a moment or two, but the door eventually swung open, just to reveal Missy Bradford herself, dressed in sweats with her hair in a messy bun. Well, there was something I never thought I would ever see.

"Riley Matthews?" she asked, her voice raising a couple octaves in obvious surprise. "What are you doing here?"

I felt my face flush bright red from embarrassment, but I decided to keep on trucking. Hopefully it was all going to be worth it in the end. "Hi, Missy. I was wondering if I could talk to you about something important? Possibly?"

She blanched, blinking quickly in shock before finally nodding slowly, taking a few steps back so I could come inside. I smiled gratefully, tentatively walking inside and politely glancing around her house. The walls were painted turquoise and the wooden floors were almost black, a contrast that somehow managed to work. There weren't any photographs on the walls, but there were a few paintings scattered around the house. I snapped my gaze back towards her when she cleared her throat.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she pressed, twirling a loose strand of light brown hair around her pointer finger. She still seemed surprised, but fortunately wasn't asking me how I knew where to find her, which was a good thing. I was already feeling awkward enough. If she asked me about that, I might actually die of absolute humiliation.

"Back when we were in school, one afternoon you mentioned something about your dad. It seemed like you really needed somebody to talk to, and although I realize that I'm really late, I was wondering if you would be all right with me being that person," I said slowly, smiling nervously.

Missy paused for a long moment, seeming rather hesitant before eventually nodding again. "Okay," she muttered quietly. "How about we go to the living room? I sincerely doubt you'd like to just linger by my front door for however long."

I laughed lightly. "It's your choice, but sure. You have a lovely home, by the way."

"You're too nice, but thanks," she said, her tone faintly shocked still before she led the way into her living room. There were still no family photos that I could see, but there were a couple more paintings scattered among the wall. There was a single pale brown couch pressed against the wall, with a flat screen television hanging on the wall across from it. My eyes flitted between the fairly large glass coffee table in front of the sofa and the lounge chair, which was closer to the TV.

I hesitantly sat down on the sofa, fiddling with my fingers awkwardly. She sat besides me, crossing one leg over the other before heaving a soft sigh. "Are you really sure you want to hear about my dramas? It isn't exactly a pretty story, Riley."

"I'm positive."

"Okay," she whispered softly before taking a subtle deep breath. "My dad's cheated on my mom a couple years ago. I found out a few weeks before she did, overhearing a phone conversation between my father and his girlfriend, but he swore me to secrecy. I promised I would never tell her, but one day the guilt just got to me and I blurted it out while we were eating dinner one evening." Her voice was even quieter now, but at the same time, she seemed relieved to finally talk about it. "She freaked out, obviously, and after awhile he reluctantly admitted that it was true, but not without adding that I had known about it for a couple weeks."

"Oh my God," I breathed.

Missy smiled humorlessly. "Yeah. Like I said, it isn't pretty. She filed for divorce, of course, but only wanted primary custody of my older brother, Robbie. He's a junior in high school, but he was only a freshman when all of this was happening. He was really angry at me for not telling our mom sooner, so we don't talk a lot anymore. I haven't even heard from my mother since Christmas," she added in a small, childlike voice, pursing her lips briefly. "She stopped loving me the day she stopped loving my father."

"Missy-"

"There's more, if you want to hear it," she murmured shyly. "The bits that I almost told you that one rainy afternoon."

"Of course I want to hear it."

She smiled again, but it didn't seem quite as blank and empty this time. "Okay. So ... my father. He's pretty much always away on business. His girlfriend -the same woman that helped break up my parents marriage- lives with us, so when he's gone she pretends to take care of me. Truthfully enough, I fend for myself, even when my dad actually is around. My dad doesn't know a single thing about me, and he hasn't since about a year before my mom found out about the affair. So I promised myself once he started acting so distant that I wouldn't let anyone know me. I just - I didn't want to feel hurt again by people taking an interest in me and then leaving, even if they only leave emotionally. So I push people out," she added, her voice even smaller now. She blinked quickly, and it wasn't until then that I noticed her eyes were watery.

I paused for a minute, at a complete loss for words. "I'm so, so sorry, Missy."

She shrugged, impatiently wiping her eyes before reluctantly turning to face me again. "You shouldn't apologize, it isn't like any of this was your fault, Riley. I'm just sorry for the way I treated you and your friends. I guess I was just envious that you guys all had each other. You can trust one another completely, no matter who you are or what you really feel inside. Everyone knows that about your group. And all I've ever wanted was something like that again."

"It's okay," I said softly. And to me, it was. Knowing her story gave me a completely different perspective on Missy Bradford. Besides, she had actually admitted to her mistakes and apologized. She was trying to be a better person, and that was good enough for me. "But you don't have to cut yourself off from people. If you had told all of us sooner, I know we could have been friends this entire time."

Missy shrugged, staring pointedly at the coffee table. "I doubt it. Maya and Farkle totally despise me, and Lucas doesn't want anything to do with me after the way I treated you. I can't blame them, either."

I was taken aback that she actually knew Maya and Farkle's names, but tried my hardest not to show it. "Despise is a strong word, Missy. But ... how about we try being friends first? We can tell each other about ourselves, even the simplest things, like our favorite colors and bands. And then maybe you won't feel so alone and isolated."

And so that's exactly what we did - we talked about everything.

Even our favorite colors.

. . .

Tap, tap.

I barely stifled a groan of annoyance and exhaustion, sitting upright and glancing towards my bay window, reluctantly opening my eyes. Just as I suspected, there was Lucas Friar, tapping on my window like it was four in the afternoon, as opposed to -I fleetingly looked over at my alarm clock- one in the morning.

He tapped again, louder this time, and I exhaled under my breath. I knew that I would have to get up now and unlock the window before the light tapping turned into banging, thus waking my mom and dad up and causing my father to turn into a murderer. I stumbled towards the window, clumsily plopping down on the seat and unlocking it. Fortunately, Lucas tugged it open, which meant less energy I would have to use. Yippee.

"What do you want?" I grumbled quietly, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

Lucas chuckled, clearly amused. "Someone's grouchy when they're woken up in the middle of the night," he mumbled teasingly before climbing inside my bedroom and sitting next to me.

I snorted lightly, resting my head on his shoulder. Although I was currently trying to be mad at him, it was harder than anticipated to keep myself upright. I was about two nanoseconds away from passing out again, so sitting straight seemed nearly impossible. But then again, so did actually thinking coherently.

"Remember how I told you my aunt wanted to talk to me about something?"

I blinked slowly, still struggling to keep my eyes wide open. "Mhm." He smelled like cinnamon and mint, per usual, which woke me up a little bit. Not a lot, but just enough to keep my eyes open long enough to let them adjust to the darkness of my bedroom.

He chuckled softly again, and I could have sworn I felt his lips press against my hair (which probably resembled an actual haystack at the moment) but I couldn't be certain. "It turns out she's been planning on moving to New York for awhile, which is why she had no problem tagging along with me on this little trip. She's been talking to your parents and your mom is helping her get a job as a waitress at some fancy restaurant. I guess your mom kept them from being turned into some kind of place that makes boxes, so they completely adore her already."

"Mhmm," I mumbled quietly, already dozing off again. I wasn't understanding why he felt the need to wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me all of this. It seemed like the type of thing that could wait awhile.

"Liiiisten," he pleaded, although he still sounded fairly amused. "My aunt's also been talking to Eric and Morgan a lot, and they're helping her find the perfect apartment. Eric's trying to convince her to let him live with her, something about history needing to repeat itself, but she isn't loving the idea."

I groaned quietly in irritation. Why did he have to wake me up? What did I ever do to him to deserve this agonizing punishment? "Lucaaaas," I whined.

"Patience, sunshine. She's looking for a two bedroom apartment. And although it isn't going to be the same building as this one ..." he trailed off, seemingly wanted me to put all the puzzle pieces together.

"Yeah, your aunt's going to live here, yaaay," I mumbled somewhat sarcastically. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Aunt Rachel talked to my mom," he continued as if I had not even spoken. "It took a lot of convincing, but earlier this afternoon -well, yesterday afternoon, actually- she finally agreed to my aunt's idea."

"Which is?"

Lucas chuckled, although it sounded somewhat breathless this time. "I'm staying in New York, sunshine. I'm going to live with my aunt."

It took a moment for what he said to finally sink in. I jerked my head up once it did, my eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Seriously?!" I exclaimed, causing us both to cringe. That was not a good way to make sure my mom and dad didn't hear us.

He nodded after awhile, once we were both sure that my dad wasn't going to barge in with a chainsaw. "Dead serious."

I laughed shakily, unsure of how to respond. It was as if there weren't enough positive words to describe how happy I was feeling.

And maybe that's how I ended up leaning up and pressing my lips against his, my hands already tangling in his hair. Right now, nothing mattered but this. Not my tiredness or the fact that my parents were sound asleep just a room away. Nothing mattered except the realization that Lucas was staying, no one was planning on dragging him across the country again.

Maya and Farkle were together and nothing could ever break them apart. Joshua had told me a couple weeks ago that he had met a new girl, someone who was a few months older than him and brighter than the sun. I had a new friendship with Missy Bradford, of all people, and although I knew it might take a little time, I knew that she would fit in perfectly with my other friends. There were finally no more painful complications or misunderstandings - everything was okay.

Lucas broke the kiss after a few seconds, obviously reluctant, but chuckling breathlessly. "Would now be a good time to officially ask you to be my girlfriend, sunshine?"

I smiled widely. "Now's a perfect time to ask."

"Aww, Riles, I think that I just did."

I rolled my eyes teasingly, lightly pecking his lips. "Then I say yes," I whispered softly, somehow smiling even wider. This was what life was all about - the moments when you feel like everything is perfectly fine, and you're just content with how your life is going. You know that there's inevitably going to be tons of complications in the near future, but at the moment, everything is all right. You can breathe without worrying about a single thing, because it's okay. It's all okay.

It was when his lips pressed against mine again, cutting off my train of thought, that I realized that maybe people do change people. There's no way I would have ever seen myself as the type of girl I was now, and I was fairly certain Lucas Friar never could have seen himself as the type of boy he was now.

People changed people. The secret of life.

My troublemaker was still a troublemaker at heart. But he was different than he was when he first got here. He cared about things, believed in people. He was even smiling rather frequently, for crying out loud.

He was okay. And so was I.

Everything was finally okay again.

 **A/N: I'm drowning in a puddle of my own tears over here. I've known for awhile that I would have to end this story eventually. but ... sigh. It still crushes my soul.**

 **I wanted to thank you guys so much for all of your encouraging words! I couldn't possibly ask for greater readers, and I cannot thank you enough for actually taking an actual interest in this story. It means so much to me that you guys actually leave your thoughts and opinions, and I literally love you all so, so much. You are all incredible and beautiful people, perfect in your own unique ways, and please never let anyone tell you otherwise. You're awesome, guys, and if you dream it, you can achieve it. Thank you so much for reading and being there through this ride!**

 **Also, shout out to AngelGirl - like you said awhile back ago, you're one of the people that have been here since the beginning, and that's so awesome. Thanks for reading!**

 **Another shout out to anybody who's been reading this story! I hope you enjoyed it. I loved writing this, and you guys made it even better. You're all amazing!**

 **I don't own Girl Meets Wooorld. Last time I'm writing a disclaimer for this story - yikes. Thank you again for reading!**


	45. Information About Sequel!

**A/N: Hey, guys! So I was reading all of your lovely reviews (thanks again for leaving your opinions!), and I decided that I would create a sequel to this story! It's currently up right now, and it's called "Drive," so feel free to check it out! There's a bit of a time jump, so they've just graduated from their sophomore year of high school. I have a lot of fun things planned for the sequel, and it would mean the world to me if you guys decided to read it. (: Thank you so much, and I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!**


End file.
